THERESA MAY’S latest Brexit speech showed the “chasm” between her rhetoric and reality, TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said today.

In a speech at Mansion House in London, the Prime Minister claimed she could deliver “an optimistic and confident future” which would leave Britain “a stronger and more cohesive nation,” while conceding that neither her government nor the European Union would get “exactly what we want” from the negotiations.

Ms May set out the “foundations” that she wants to underpin the new relationship, including binding commitments to fair competition and a new arbitration mechanism for disputes, while also giving greater detail on the Irish border question.

But Ms O’Grady said: “We need all options on the negotiating table to protect jobs, livelihoods and rights at work and to prevent a hard border in Ireland.”

Ms May’s speech met with a mixed reaction from the EU.

Chief negotiator Michel Barnier said he “welcomed” the “clarity” in the speech, which would inform the European Commission’s guidelines.

However, European Parliament Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt said the Prime Minister needed to “move beyond vague aspirations.”