The British government will not allow Britain to be dictated to by Brussels in negotiations over its withdrawal from the EU, the country's Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab warned on Sunday.
Mr Raab said London would keep negotiating on the basis of British prime minister Theresa May's Chequers blueprint for Brexit, despite the rebuff for the plan by EU leaders at last week's Salzburg summit.
Appearing on BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show, he said he remained confident they could make progress, provided the EU side was prepared to show greater flexibility.
He dismissed claims Ms May could call a snap general election in an attempt to save her premiership following the Salzburg debacle. “It’s for the birds. It’s not going to happen,” he said.
Mr Raab insisted Salzburg had been no more than a “bump in the road” in the negotiations.
“We will hold our nerve, we will keep our cool and we will keep negotiating in good faith. What we are not going to do is be dictated to,” he said.
“We have come up with a serious set of proposals. We are not just going to flit from plan to plan like some sort of diplomatic butterfly.
“We are going to be resolute about this and really press the EU to treat us with some respect.”
He said that Britain had shown flexibility in its negotiating position and called on the EU to do the same.
“If we just get this sort of ‘computer says no’ response from the EU we are not going to make progress,” he said.
“We need some flex, some give and take if you like, from the EU and I am confident that, as the fall-out from Salzburg ebbs, we will make further progress.” - PA