The Prime Minister has delivered an uncompromising message to the EU over Brexit - saying she won’t back down and will not reverse the referendum result.

The defiant message came after her EU partners shredded her proposed deal at a summit in Austria.

In a statement at Downing Street she said it was unacceptable for either side in the discussions to make threats.

“The EU should be clear, I will not overturn the result of the referendum nor will I break up my country. We need serious engagement in resolving the two big problems in the negotiations and we stand ready.”

"I will not overturn the result of the referendum nor will I break up my country."

Kent business and political leaders have started to react, with Jo James, chief executive of the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce claiming the future for local businesses remained uncertain.

She described the key issues as congestion on Kent's roads, the ability to trade without high tariffs, and the fate of the county's huge EU workforce.

Businesses want to know whether the county's roads will be backed-up with lorries, or whether their workforce will be massively depleted.

She said: "Businesses don't like uncertainty.

"One minute we might have a no deal Brexit, and the next, we might not.

"This is a very uncertain time for businesses, but the sooner we get the answers to those pragmatic questions, the better."

Dover and Deal MP Charlie Elphicke said: "European leaders have been insulting our country. You have to ask, is there a deal to be done?

"That's why it's more important than ever that we use the next six months wisely to step up no deal preparations and make sure we are ready on day one for every eventuality."

Lord Adonis, a prominent figure in the remain campaign and a former Labour minister said at an event at the University of Kent last night that it was not impossible to trigger and win a second referendum to stay.

“The next time, we need the facts out and people who actually believe in remain..who are prepared to make the big emotional arguments and put all the arguments on the table. I am absolutely confident that we can win."