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Brexit: In their own words, key political players have their say so far on the EU exit

The Prime Minister has said 'Brexit means Brexit' but has not elaborated much
The Prime Minister has said 'Brexit means Brexit' but has not elaborated much The Prime Minister has said 'Brexit means Brexit' but has not elaborated much

THE questions of when the UK will trigger Article 50 to kick start its two-year divorce from Brussels and what Brexit will actually look like have dominated the first 100 days since the referendum result. 

Here's a look at what the key political players who will have to answer those questions have said so far.

Theresa May - Prime Minister

:: The Prime Minister has said "Brexit means Brexit" but has not elaborated much beyond that.

On negotiations, September 7: "We will not take decisions until we are ready, we will not reveal our hand prematurely and we will not provide a running commentary on every twist and turn of the negotiations."

On immigration: "What the British people voted for on June 23 was to bring some control into the movement of people from the European Union to the UK. A points-based system does not give you that control."

:: Amber Rudd - Home Secretary

On immigration, September 11: "Whether we look at a work permit system or another system is something that my department is looking at closely at the moment."

She added that "we are not ruling anything out at the moment".

:: Donald Tusk - European Council president

On Article 50: "She (Theresa May) declared that it's almost impossible to trigger Article 50 this year but it's quite likely that they will be ready maybe in January maybe in February next year."

:: Jean-Claude Juncker - European Commission president

On access to the single market, September 16: "There's a clear interlink, as we made clear since the very beginning, between the access to the internal market and the basic principles of the internal market, mainly the one of the freedom of movement of workers."

Mr Juncker said he "can't see any possibility of compromising on that very issue".

On Article 50 and negotiations, June 28: "No notification, no negotiation."

:: David Davis - Brexit Secretary

On access to the single market, September 5: "The simple truth is, if a requirement of membership is giving up control of our borders, I think that makes it very improbable.''

On negotiations, September 12: Divorce with Brussels is "likely to be the most complicated negotiation of modern times".

:: Nicola Sturgeon - Scottish First Minister

On Scottish independence, June 24: She pledged to explore all options to keep Scotland in the EU and said Brexit made a second independence referendum "highly likely".

:: Angela Merkel - German chancellor

On negotiations, June 28: The UK will not be allowed to "cherry-pick" the elements of EU membership it wants to hold on to after withdrawal.

"If you wish to have free access to the single market then you have to accept the fundamental European rights as well as obligations that come from it."

:: Guy Verhofstadt - European Parliament chief Brexit negotiator.

On access to the single market, July 24: "The European Parliament will never agree to a deal that 'de facto' ends the free movement of people for a decade, while giving away an extra rebate in exchange for all the advantages of the internal market."

:: Jeremy Corbyn - Labour leader

He has hinted he wants a Brexit deal with "full access" to the single market but stressed he would not want to accept state aid rules which limit Government intervention.

On taking lessons from Norway, September 15: "We're looking very closely at the Norwegian model. Not using their model, it's learning the lessons from Norway."

:: Tony Blair - former prime minister

On the possibility of the UK changing its mind on Brexit, September 1: "We have done something rather bizarre with Brexit. It's like moving house without having seen the new house. We have made an agreement to exchange, but we don't yet know the terms of Brexit, we don't know the costs and the consequences."

:: Nigel Farage - former Ukip leader

On the outcome of the referendum, June 24: The Brexit vote was achieved "without a single bullet being fired".

On negotiations, June 24: "We need the negotiations to start as soon as humanly possible, we need to start thinking globally about our future."

On Tory commitment to controlling immigration, June 27: "I'm beginning to hear noises, I'm beginning to detect there may be some backsliding and I don't find that acceptable."

:: Boris Johnson - Foreign Secretary

On maintaining good relations: "We are not leaving Europe, we are leaving the European Union."

:: Liam Fox - International Trade Secretary

On the "duty" of British businesses to be exporters, September 8: "This country is not the free-trading nation that it once was. We have become too lazy, and too fat on our successes in previous generations."