Theresa May, British prime minister, continued her Brexit tour of European capitals on Thursday 13th of October with a visit to Madrid.
May met with her Spanish counterpart, acting-PM Mariano Rajoy, at his official residence, La Moncloa.
The main item on the agenda of the bilateral talks was the impact of the UK’s vote to leave the European Union on the rights of the over 100,000 Spanish citizens who live in Britain and the estimated 310,000 UK citizens who are resident in Spain.
According to a statement issued after the meeting Rajoy told May that British firms in Spain as well as residents and the “millions of tourists” need not worry, just as Spanish residents in the UK can be reassured that Spain will defend their interests.
Although nothing can be decided until Britain invokes Article 50, Rajoy had previously released a reassuring message on Twitter that said, “We will work together to preserve the important ties that join Spain and the UK.” Rajoy stressed his regret at the UK’s decision to leave and defended the future integrity of the rest of the EU countries.
