No staying in the EU by the back door, says Theresa May

Theresa May has told her cabinet that there will be “no attempts to stay in the EU by the back door”, as she began the first meeting of her top team since the summer break.

The prime minister started the session at Chequers by telling colleagues they would be discussing the next steps towards Britain’s exit from the European project, and the opportunities available as “we forge a new role for the UK in the world”.

“We must continue to be very clear that Brexit means Brexit, that we’re going to make a success of it. That means there’s no second referendum, no attempts to sort of stay in the EU by the back door, that we’re actually going to deliver on this,” she said.

The cabinet meeting comes as a new ICM/Guardian poll gives the Conservatives a 14-point lead over the opposition, with May’s party up one point to 41%, while Labour has fallen one point to 27%.

The survey, which has Ukip third with 13%, followed by the Liberal Democrats on 9%, comes as the Tories have welcomed a rise in membership of 50,000.

The Chequers event included a presentation by the party chair, Patrick McLoughlin, with a briefing ahead of the cabinet meeting suggesting ministers are keen to try to capitalise on the difficulties being faced by Labour, which has had an even bigger boost in membership but has also been racked with infighting.

“While Labour tears itself apart with splits and break-off groups, the Conservative party is more united than ever and ready to get on with the work of governing for the whole country,” it said.

May, who spent her summer break on a walking holiday in Switzerland with her husband, has also praised the fantastic success of Team GB in the Olympics, calling it “absolutely great” and wished the country’s Paralympians well.

She said her team would discuss social reform during Wednesday’s meeting, arguing that a major priority was wanting “to be a government and a country that works for everyone”.

“I want it to be a society where it’s the talent that you have and how hard you’re prepared to work that determines how you get on, rather than your background,” she said.

“We’ll be having an update on the state of the economy. We’ll be looking at how we can work to increase productivity – that’s one of the key issues that we want to address. But also how we can get tough on irresponsible behaviour in big business – again making sure that actually everyone is able to share in the country’s prosperity.”

May’s team will also consider its legislative programme and then hear from the Tory party chairman, Patrick McLoughlin, in a special political cabinet for which civil servants will have to leave the room.

Finishing her introduction, May added: “Can I just remind everybody that this really is a very significant moment for the country, as we look ahead to the next steps that we need to take? We have the opportunity to forge a new positive role for the UK in the world, to make sure that we are that government and country that works for everyone – that everyone can share in the country’s prosperity.”

May met her team in an ornate room at Chequers, the prime minister’s country residence in Buckinghamshire, flanked by Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary and the cabinet secretary, Sir Jeremy Heywood. The prime minister allowed cameras in to film the opening comments.

The meeting came after May attempted to reassure other European leaders during a series of phone calls. She told Finland’s prime minister, Juha Sipilä, and Norway’s prime minister, Erna Solberg, that Britain “would not be turning its back on Europe”, according to a Downing Street spokesperson.

“The prime minister explained that the UK will not trigger article 50 before the end of the year to give the UK and the EU time to prepare for negotiations and to help ensure that the process is as smooth as possible. The PM added that as we embark on those discussions, we should consider what is going to work best for the UK and what is going to work for the European Union, rather than necessarily pursuing an existing model.”

May also promised that as long as the UK remained in the EU it would play a “full role, live up to our obligations and remain a strong supporter of free trade”.