LONDON, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Shared interests can bring the people of Britain together as the country faces leaving the European Union, British Prime Minister Theresa May said late Saturday in her New Year message.
Released by Downing Street in the final hours of 2016, May said, "The New Year is a time to reflect on what has passed and to look ahead to the opportunities to come. And this year, as I consider all that 2017 has in store, I believe those opportunities are greater than ever."
"For we have made a momentous decision and set ourselves on a new direction. And if 2016 was the year you voted for that change, this is the year we start to make it happen."
May said she was aware the EU referendum last June was divisive at times, adding: "I know that not everyone shared the same point of view, or voted in the same way. But I know too that, as we face the opportunities ahead of us, our shared interests and ambitions can bring us together."
"We all want to see a Britain that is stronger than it is today. We all want a country that is fairer so that everyone has the chance to succeed. We all want a nation that is safe and secure for our children and grandchildren,"said the prime minister.
"These ambitions unite us, so that we are no longer the 52 percent who voted Leave and the 48 percent who voted Remain, but one great union of people and nations with a proud history and a bright future."
She said when she sits around the negotiating table in Europe it will be with that in mind, the knowledge that she is there to get the right deal.
"Not just for those who voted to Leave, but for every single person in this country," she added.
May said the referendum laid bare some further divisions in Britain between those who are prospering, and those who are not.
She referred to the people who can easily buy their own home, send their children to a great school, find a secure job, and those who cannot.
"In short, those for whom our country works well, and those for whom it does not," she added.
"This is the year we need to pull down these barriers that hold people back, securing a better deal at home for ordinary, working people. The result will be a truly united Britain."
She concluded by saying the new year presented a golden opportunity to bring Britain together as never before, urging people to look ahead to a year of opportunity and unity.
In her New Year message, Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon, said she is determined Scotland's vote to remain within the European Union would be respected.
Sturgeon said: "We are working to safeguard the opportunities that so many people in Scotland now take for granted. We are determined that Scotland's vote to remain in the European Union will be respected - and that people in Scotland retain as many of the benefits of EU membership as possible, including the freedom to work, travel and study in other member states."
Although Britain voted 52-48 to leave the EU in the June referendum, the people of Scotland voted by 62-38 to remain in the bloc.
