Britain to decide how to spend taxpayers' money post-Brexit: PM May's spokeswoman

[December 01, 2016]  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will decide how it spends taxpayers' money after it leaves the EU and is looking at ways of securing the best access for businesses to the bloc after Brexit, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Theresa May said on Thursday.

Earlier, Brexit minister David Davis told parliament that Britain would consider making payments to the European Union in return for access to EU markets.

"What he said in the house this morning is consistent with what we have said ... that it will be for the UK government to make decisions on how taxpayers' money will be spent," the spokeswoman told reporters.

"As we approach these negotiations we want to get the best possible access for British business to trade with, and operate within, the single market while also taking back control of immigration," she said, adding the government was working out the best way to approach the EU negotiations.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, Editing by Kylie MacLellan)

[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.