UK's May says Britain wants to keep tariff-free trade with EU

LONDON, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Britain cannot remain a full member of the EU customs union but will seek tariff-free trade with the bloc after Brexit, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Tuesday.

May said full membership prevented Britain making its own trade deals but she said she wanted a customs deal with the EU to ensure cross-border trade with Europe was as "frictionless as possible".

"I want to remove as many barriers to trade as possible and I want Britain to be free to establish our own tariff schedules at the World Trade Organisation, meaning we can reach new trade agreements not just with the EU but with old friends and new allies from outside Europe too," she said. (Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Stephen Addison)