LONDON, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Battle for Brexit was fought both sides of the Atlantic Wednesday as Prime Minister Theresa May defended her Chequers' blueprint in the U.S. and her opposite at Westminster, Labor's Jeremy Corbyn condemning it in Liverpool.
In a rousing end-of conference speech in Liverpool, Corbyn primed Labor faithful to prepare for a general election to ensure he enters 10 Downing Street as the next British prime minister.
He made it clear at Labor's annual conference that Labor would oppose a no-deal Brexit or the so-called Chequers plan for a future relationship with Europe favored by May.
In New York the Prime Minister addressed a Bloomberg Business Forum to highlight her Brexit plans.
She told 200 U.S. business leaders that Britain will cut corporation tax after it leaves EU.
In her speech May said she wanted to reform World Trade Organization rules so they kept pace with the changing nature of trade and technology.
Corbyn addressing a packed riverfront conference center, just a few hundred meters from where millions of Europeans once boarded ocean liners bound for New York.
Delegates welcomed his rallying speech with standing ovations, reaching a crescendo when he said Labor was now ready for government.
It took Corbyn over an hour to set out his vision for a fairer society under Labor, taking in better care of disabled people, free child care for working parents to workers appointed to company boards. He also spoke of tackling pollution and environmental issues as crucial.
"When we meet this time next year let it be as a Labor government. Investing in Britain after years of austerity and neglect and bringing our country together after a decade of division," he said to a chorus of loud cheers and applause.
And with the fate of Brexit still to be decided between London and Brussels, an early general election cannot be ruled out.
In the Spectator current affairs magazine columnist Isabel Hardman said Corbyn's conference speech showed how confident he had become.
Hardman wrote: "He knew his way around the text enough to be able to make little spontaneous jokes."
She said party members were, unsurprisingly, delighted by the very appearance of their leader, waving "Jeremy Corbyn" scarves.
"Labor will leave this conference feeling pretty good about itself. But there's a risk that this good feeling allows the leadership to continue to fudge on Brexit, both in terms of the deal being negotiated and the terms of a proposed second referendum on that deal," said Hardman.
Tim Montgomerie, founder of the website the Conservative Home commented: "Don't agree with it, but Corbyn has a comprehensive and maybe compelling vision for post-crash future of Britain. May doesn't and that leaves Conservatives very vulnerable. Much more than that, it leaves future of our free enterprise system vulnerable. Tick tock, tick tock for Tory MPs."
The speech was given the thumbs down by the Conservative chairman Brandon Lewis.
He said: "Jeremy Corbyn has shown at every turn he is unfit to govern.
All he offers are failed ideas that didn't work in the past and would leave working families paying the price with higher taxes, more debt and more waste -- just like last time. Only the Conservatives offer people opportunity for the future."
Away from the political classes, Carolyn Fairbairn, director general, of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said of Corbyn's speech: "Much of Labor's vision for a more sustainable and fair country is absolutely right. Business not only supports it but holds many of the keys to making it a reality.
"From onshore power to affordable childcare, the Labor leader's speech echoes calls from firms for more action on climate change and to unlock productivity."
Fairbairn added: "But this will only happen if Labor invites business into the tent. Continual public barbs and backward-facing policy are deterring entrepreneurs and investors, at a time when we need them most."
Riding on the crest of a conference wave, Corbyn travels to Brussels Thursday (Sept 27) for talks with the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier.
Back in New York, May faced questions about Brexit and prospects for a deal between Britain and the remaining 27 EU member states.
She told them: "We're at the point of the negotiations where we've got a few weeks to go. We don't know where the negotiations will end. I'm confident about getting a deal."
But there was a blunt add to her message to the U.S. business world: "We have to make sure we're prepared for any eventuality. And of course as government we're preparing for a deal and we're preparing for no deal."
