Topic

Overview of the topic

The main topic of May’s speech is Brexit, which is the popular name for Britain’s decision to leave the European Union, decided by referendum (a vote) on 23 June 2016. The term “Brexit” is a merging of the words “Britain” and “exit”. More specifically, the topic of May’s speech is how Britain is going to get the best possible deal for the future.

May has in fact delivered several speeches on Brexit, but the one from 17 January 2017 is interesting because this is the speech where the Prime Minister publicly outlines the British approach to the coming negotiations. Note that Brexit is an ongoing process, so when analysing this speech, you should pay attention to recent developments and do some research.

The result of the Brexit referendum was that Leave won by 51.9% to 48.1%. The referendum turnout was 71.8%, with more than 30 million people voting. The result came as a shock to many. Right from the start, Brexit has sparked a heated debate in the UK, as well as the EU, which has caused a substantial amount of disagreement. Internally, the four UK nations voted quite differently: Whereas Eng...