Theresa May: UK 'would not recognise Catalunya's independence'

In a conversation with her Spanish counterpart, Mariano Rajoy this week, the Conservative leader stressed that the referendum 'had no legal basis' and that 'any unilateral declaration of independence would be inconsistent with legality'.

“Great Britain would not recognise Catalunya as an independent nation,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.

Mrs May has her own professional interest in not supporting any secession bid by Spain's north-eastern region, given that Scotland has already held a referendum on independence and has threatened to stage another now that its main reason for voting to remain in the UK in the initial poll was the knowledge that it would cease to be a member of the European Union.

This week, Mrs May has been discussing her Brexit plans with French president Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and according to Downing Street, also talked about these negotiations with Rajoy.

The contents of any of the three conversations have not been made clear, other than the UK government's announcement that it will start to 'register' EU citizens present in the country from the end of 2018.

In the prime minister's office's announcement to Rajoy about Catalunya, Theresa May also expressed her condolences for the extensive damage and loss of four lives in the Galicia wildfires.