Brexit - as it happened: Theresa May reiterates opposition to Donald Trump's Jerusalem move during phone call
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Welcome to The Independent’s politics liveblog. Theresa May has spoken with Donald Trump about his decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and the need for a "swift" bilateral trade deal after Brexit.
Earlier, she met her full Cabinet and ministers set our their own visions for the UK’s relationship with the EU after Brexit.
The meeting lasted for an hour and 45 minutes and some 25 ministers spoke, according to the Prime Minister's official spokesman.
Discussions on the so-called “end state” come amid reports that the Prime Minister and her aides are planning a speech – similar to Lancaster House and Florence – where Ms May will set out the Government’s vision for future trade with the bloc.
Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, has also given another interview, insisting there will be no special arrangement to allow City firms to trade freely in the EU if Britain leaves the single market – a further blow to Ms May’s hopes of securing a bespoke deal with Brussels.
In comments likely to infuriate hardline Brexiteers, Mr Barnier said that the UK must follow all EU rules during the expected two-year transition period following the official date of Brexit in March 2019 - including laws introduced during that time with no British input into decisions.
BREAKING
The full readout from Theresa May's call with Donald Trump has been released by No 10.
Here it is in full:
A Downing Street spokesperson said:
“The Prime Minister called President Trump earlier this afternoon. She began by offering her condolences over the loss of life in the terrible train crash in Washington state.
“They discussed the different positions we took on the recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, and agreed on the importance of the US bringing forward new proposals for peace and the international community supporting these efforts.
“The Prime Minister also raised Yemen, highlighting our ongoing deep concerns at the humanitarian situation. They agreed on the vital importance of reopening humanitarian and commercial access to prevent famine and alleviate the suffering of innocent Yemenis.
“The Prime Minister updated the President on the recent good progress of the Brexit negotiations, and the President set out the progress he had made on his economic agenda. They agreed on the importance of a swift post-Brexit bilateral trade deal.
“They wished each other a very Merry Christmas and looked forward to keeping in close touch.”
The PM's spokesman said the fact it took 13 days between Ms May announcing her intention to speak with Mr Trump about Jerusalem and the call actually taking place was a "matter of scheduling" and the PM "didn't put any timeframe on it".
It is also the first time the pair have talked since their extraordinary transatlantic row over Mr Trump's sharing of inflammatory anti-Muslim videos posted by the far-right Britain First group's deputy leader, Jayda Fransen.
At the time, the PM said Mr Trump was "wrong" to retweet the videos, and the US president hit back at Ms May on Twitter by telling her to focus on "destructive radical Islamic terrorism" in the UK, rather than on him.
Some reaction from Washington, where a White House statement on the call said the US president "congratulated the Prime Minister on the decision by European Union leaders to move to the second phase of the Brexit negotiations".
And that is it for today's live coverage of UK politics. Thank you for joining us.
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