(Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP, File). FILE- In this June 6, 2018 file photo, Britain's Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis delivers a speech in London, on Britain's vision for the future security relationship with the EU. Briti...

LONDON (AP) - The Latest on Brexit (all times local):

British Prime Minister Theresa May has named Jeremy Hunt to the job of foreign secretary after the resignation of Boris Johnson.

Hunt, who had been the health secretary, is considered one of May's most loyal ministers.

May's government was rocked Monday by the resignations of Johnson and Brexit Secretary David Davis. They quit amid divisions in the government over Brexit.

Johnson and Davis advocate a clean break with the European Union, known as "hard Brexit." Hunt, who backed the "remain" side in Britain's 2016 EU membership referendum, favors keeping close economic ties to the bloc after the U.K. leaves next year.

Now-former British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has slammed Prime Minister Theresa May in a resignation letter, accusing her of flying "white flags" of surrender in negotiations with the European Union.

Johnson, one of the most vocal and popular proponents of Britain's exit from the European Union, quit as Britain's top diplomat on Monday. His move came hours after Brexit Secretary David Davis also resigned, blowing open divisions over how to leave the EU that threaten to topple May's government.

Johnson said in his letter that May's plan to keep close economic ties with the bloc means the U.K. is heading for a "semi-Brexit" that would leave Britain with the "status of colony" within the EU.

He said: "The Brexit dream is dying, suffocated by needless self-doubt "

May's supporters worry that more ministers could resign, and pro-Brexit lawmakers from her Conservative Party could trigger a no-confidence vote in the prime minister.

The White House says President Donald Trump "continues to look forward to" his meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May this week despite the turmoil that Brexit is creating in her government.

May defended her plan for Britain's exit from the European Union after British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit Secretary David Davis both resigned.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement Monday that "The President continues to look forward to his working visit with the Prime Minister on July 13, and further strengthening the U.S.-U.K. special relationship."

Trump will make his maiden voyage to the U.K. as president following a NATO summit in Brussels and before heading to Helsinki for a summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin.

Prime Minister Theresa May has defended her post-Brexit trade plan that sparked Cabinet resignations, saying it is the only way to avoid a hard border with Ireland.

May told the House of Commons on Monday that her program - which would allow the free movement of goods, but not services - is the "right Brexit " because it would make it possible to avoid checks at the border between the republic and Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is part of the U.K.

Lawmakers howled as a beleaguered May paid tribute to two senior members of her Cabinet who resigned rather than accept her proposals.

May said: "What we are proposing is challenging for the EU. It requires them to think again, to look beyond the positions they have taken so far and to agree a new and fair balance of rights and obligations "

Prime Minister Theresa May has paid tribute to two key Cabinet ministers who resigned rather than accept her plan for Britain's departure from the European Union.

May told the House of Commons on Monday that Brexit Secretary David Davis and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson made important contributions to Britain, but did not agree with her about "the best way" of delivering Brexit.

She said: "We do not agree about the best way of delivering our shared commitment to honoring the result of the referendum" voters approved to leave the EU.

Davis resigned as Brexit secretary late Sunday, saying he could not support proposals to maintain close trade and regulatory ties with the EU. Johnson resigned Monday only moments before May spoke.

Top European Union officials say Brexit is becoming a mess for Europe following the resignations of the U.K.'s chief Brexit negotiator and foreign secretary.

Britain's Brexit secretary, David Davis quit late Sunday and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson submitted his resignation on Monday.

European Council President Donald Tusk said Monday that it is unfortunate that the whole "idea of Brexit has not left together with David Davis."

Tusk added: "The mess caused by Brexit is the biggest problem in the history of EU-UK relations and it is still very far from being resolved, with or without Mr. Davis."

Asked about his reaction to Johnson's resignation, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said sarcastically that "this clearly proves that at Chequers, there was unity in the cabinet."

Juncker's remarks were a reference to a 12-hour British Cabinet meeting at Prime Minister Theresa May's country residence on Friday that was supposed to have resolved internal disagreement over Brexit.

The British government says Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has resigned, amid a widening split in the Cabinet over Brexit.

Prime Minister Theresa May's office said May accepted the resignation on Monday and will announce a replacement soon.

A leader of the campaign to take Britain out of the European Union, Johnson was under pressure to act after the resignation of David Davis as Brexit secretary.

Davis quit late Sunday saying he could not support May's plans for close trade and regulatory ties with the bloc after the U.K. leaves the European Union next year.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has not arrived at an international meeting in London, fueling speculation that he plans to resign over differences with Prime Minister Theresa May on Brexit.

Johnson was due to host the Western Balkans Summit on Monday. But German Minister of State for Europe Michael Roth tweeted that by early afternoon "We're still waiting for our host..."

Johnson is scheduled to hold a news conference at the summit later.

A leader of the campaign to take Britain out of the European Union, Johnson is under pressure to act after the resignation of David Davis as Brexit secretary.

Davis quit late Sunday saying he could not support May's plans for close trade and regulatory ties with the bloc after the U.K. leaves the European Union next year.

British Prime Minister Theresa May's office insists the government's plans for leaving the European Union are on track despite the resignation of the top official in the Brexit department.

David Davis resigned as Brexit secretary late Sunday, saying he couldn't support proposals to maintain close trade and regulatory ties with the EU.

Davis was replaced Monday with Dominic Raab, a lawmaker who strongly supports Britain's EU exit.

Davis's resignation shattered a fragile peace in May's government, which is split between supporters of "hard" and "soft" Brexit. Britain is due to leave the EU in March.

May's official spokesman, James Slack, says "we need to move forward at pace in these negotiations, and that's what we are going to do."

He says "there is now a new secretary of state and we look forward to moving on."

The European Union says it will push on with Brexit talks despite the resignation of Britain's chief negotiator, and is ready to work with his replacement.

European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas says Monday that "we will continue to negotiate in good will, bona fide, with Prime Minister Theresa May and the UK government negotiators in order to reach a deal."

Asked whether the appointment of Dominic Raab would affect the negotiations, Schinas said it mattered for Britain but not necessarily the EU: "What matters for us is the negotiating framework that our 27 member states have set for us."

He said EU negotiators stand ready to work through the summer if needed to reach an agreement. Britain officially leaves the EU at midnight on March 29 next year.

The German government says it's confident the British government can continue to act on Brexit despite the resignation of the minister tasked with the job of negotiating with the European Union.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Rainer Breul said Monday that while Germany doesn't generally comment on foreign Cabinet reshuffles, "we have no doubt the British side remains capable of acting" on Brexit.

Britain's Brexit minister, David Davis, quit late Sunday, two days after Prime Minister Theresa May announced she had united her quarrelsome government behind a plan for a divorce deal with the EU.

Separately, German government spokeswoman Martina Fietz downplayed talk of discord on Brexit between Chancellor Angela Merkel and her top security official. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer had warned last week of security risks when Britain leaves the EU.

Britain's government has named former Housing Minister Dominic Raab to take up the post of senior official in charge of negotiating the country's exit from the European Union, after his predecessor resigned.

Prime Minister Theresa May's office announced the appointment in a Monday statement. Raab, a Brexit supporter, follows David Davis, who had accused May of undermining Brexit with her plan to keep close trade ties with the bloc.

Davis quit just two days after May announced she had finally united her quarrelsome government behind a plan for a divorce deal with the EU.

The European Parliament's chief Brexit official is urging Britain to look beyond the departure of its chief negotiator and move forward quickly to clinch a deal with the EU.

Guy Verhofstadt said that "it is in the interest of the both that we move the negotiations forward."

Verhofstadt hopes "the UK unites around a position to conclude a broad Association Agreement with the EU."

In a blow to the British government, Davis quit late Sunday, saying he could not support Prime Minister Theresa May's plan for close trade and regulatory ties with the EU after Brexit next year.

His resignation came just two days after May announced she had finally united her quarrelsome government behind a plan for a divorce deal with the EU.

Former Brexit Secretary David Davis says he won't seek to challenge Prime Minister Theresa May's leadership after resigning from her Cabinet, but that he will pressure her to toughen her position on Britain's departure from the European Union.

Davis says he resigned because he didn't feel he best suited to carry the divorce deal forward, telling the BBC Monday that he doesn't want his resignation to become a rallying cry for May's ouster. He says "I like Theresa May, I think she's a good prime minister."

But he says they had a difference of strategy and hoped the decision would send a signal to the EU not to push Britain any further in Brexit negotiations.

Davis's late-night resignation undermined May's already fragile government, which has lost several ministers this year.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> LONDON — A political crisis threatening Prime Minister Theresa May's government deepened Monday after Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson resigned hours after Britain's top negotiator for the country’s exit from the European Union unexpectedly quit.

Both resignations came after May unveiled proposals for Britain's Brexit strategy, adding pressure for May to step down. She could also be ousted in a leadership challenge by her ruling Conservative Party.

The well-known, flamboyant Johnson and senior negotiator David Davis were leading figures in the 2016 referendum campaign in favor of Brexit, and both heavily favor a strong break — a "hard Brexit" — in trade ties with the EU.

May’s office said the prime minister accepted Johnson’s resignation and would soon name a replacement.

It comes as May plans to meet with world leaders at the NATO summit Wednesday and Thursday, followed by a Friday meeting with President Donald Trump in and around London.

The White House said Trump’s visit to London remains scheduled for Thursday and Friday despite the political turmoil. “The president continues to look forward to his working visit with the prime minister on July 13, and further strengthening the U.S.-U.K. special relationship,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.

Shortly after Johnson quit, May defended her Brexit plan, telling lawmakers in the House of Commons it was the "only way to avoid a hard border" between the United Kingdom's Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland. Uncertainty over tariffs and immigration checks at the border has been a major stumbling block in negotiations between Britain and the EU.

Johnson's resignation came after he reportedly described May's plans for a "soft Brexit" that would preserve close trade ties with the 28-nation bloc to "polishing a turd."

"Luckily, we have some expert turd-polishers in this government," Johnson told May last week at a Brexit summit at Chequers, her country retreat, British media reported.

Davis resigned Sunday after claiming that May is undermining Brexit with her proposals for a "soft Brexit."

In his resignation letter, Davis cited irreconcilable differences with May over her plan to keep trade and customs similar to existing ones with the EU that "will leave us in at best a weak negotiating position, and possibly an inescapable one."

Dominic Raab, a Brexit supporter who was previously the housing minister, was named as Davis' replacement.

The moves by Johnson and Davis destabilize May's already fragile coalition government just days after the British leader announced she had finally united her fractious Cabinet behind a plan for a divorce deal with the EU.

Brexit is due to take place by March 2019. The EU has not signed off on any of May's latest proposals. In fact, the EU has repeatedly warned Britain that time is running out to seal a divorce deal.

British Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis departs Downing Street following a cabinet meeting in London, Britain, July 3, 2018.

"The mess caused by Brexit is the biggest problem in the history of EU-U.K. relations and it is still very far from being resolved, with or without Mr. Davis," European Council President Donald Tusk said Monday.

The resignations are a major blow to May because she was been trying to win over members of Parliament who are skeptical of her proposal that would keep Britain in a free-trade zone with the EU and avoid tariffs and border checks for goods. Davis was a strong voice who favored a clean break so Britain could strike new trade deals around the world.

May "has no authority left and is incapable of delivering Brexit," tweeted Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour Party. "With her government in chaos, if she clings on, it's clear she's more interested in hanging on for her own sake than serving the people of our country."

Britain needs to reach a Brexit deal with the EU before March 29, 2019, in order to establish trade, security, immigration and other ties with the bloc. If Britain fails to secure an agreement in time, tariffs would be imposed on U.K. goods exported to the EU, and vice versa, under World Trade Organization rules.

In theory, Britain would also have no legal obligation to contribute to the EU's budget, according to a parliamentary report. More worrisome are the residency and working rights of 3 million EU nationals in Britain that could suddenly end.

More: Airbus threatens to leave Britain in case of no-deal Brexit </s> Theresa May still has confidence in Boris Johnson, her spokesman said, after the UK foreign secretary described his boss's post-Brexit trade policy with the European Union as "crazy".

[LONDON] Theresa May still has confidence in Boris Johnson, her spokesman said, after the UK foreign secretary described his boss's post-Brexit trade policy with the European Union as "crazy".

The prime minister's proposal for a customs partnership with the EU - a complicated plan that would keep the UK closer to the bloc than Brexit backers would like - was rejected by most of her Cabinet last week and euroskeptics declared it dead. Mrs May is optimistic her ministers will agree on a way forward, her spokesman, James Slack, told reporters in London.

"There were good discussions last week and we are working to refine those models," Mr Slack said. "December 2020, we will be leaving the customs union."

Under a customs partnership, the UK would collect tariffs on behalf of the EU and then refund exempt businesses.

Mr Johnson said in an interview with the Daily Mail that Mrs May's plan was "totally untried" and a "crazy system" for organising customs and borders after the divorce.

It's "not taking back control of your trade policy, it's not taking back control of your laws, it's not taking back control of your borders and it's actually not taking back control of your money either," he said.

But Mrs May needs her plan to survive as her team sees it as the only way to deliver the Brexit she has promised. The alternative would be a messy no-deal split or staying in the EU's customs union - would be seen as a breach of her word that would probably prompt a leadership challenge. </s> • Boris Johnson calls on May to ditch her “crazy” plans to form a ‘customs partnership’ with the EU.
• May and her team have asked Johnson and the rest of her cabinet to back her plans, which they believe would prevent a hard border with Northern Ireland.
• However, Johnson and other senior Brexiteers in May’s cabinet believe doing so would restrict the UK from signing trade deals after Brexit.
• Both May and Johnson’s preferred options for replacing the customs union after Brexit have been rejected by the EU.

LONDON – Theresa May’s plans to form a “customs partnership” with the EU after Brexit are “crazy,” and must be ditched, the foreign secretary has said in the clearest public attack yet on the prime minister’s authority.

Boris Johnson told the Daily Mail that May was attempting to create a “crazy system” which would break the key Brexit campaign pledge to “take back control” of Britain’s trading system from the EU.

“If you have the new customs partnership, you have a crazy system whereby you end up collecting the tariffs on behalf of the EU at the U.K. frontier,” Johnson told the Mail.

“If the EU decides to impose punitive tariffs on something the U.K. wants to bring in cheaply, there’s nothing you can do. That’s not taking back control of your trade policy, it’s not taking back control of your laws, it’s not taking back control of your borders and it’s actually not taking back control of your money either, because tariffs would get paid centrally back to Brussels.

He added: “It’s totally untried and would make it very, very difficult to do free trade deals.”

Johnson’s comments are privately backed by other senior Brexiteers in May’s Cabinet, including the Brexit secretary David Davis and the Environment Secretary Michael Gove. However, they are at complete odds with the prime minister and her team who are still pushing for her plans to develop a ‘customs partnership’ with the EU.

Johnson’s preferred alternative of creating a new ‘maximum facilitation’ system would involve a new ‘trusted trader’ system, but would also produce border checks in Northern Ireland, which politicians from all side have warned would be a serious risk to the peace process in the province.

Both options would take up to five years to implement and have already been ruled out by EU officials as “magical thinking,” with the Irish government threatening to veto any deal that does not retain current loose customs relations between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

UK government officials have been tasked with finding a third compromise option, with a spokesman for May saying last week that the government’s policy on customs was now “evolving” as they looked at “a number of options” for resolving the issue.

Discussions about the issue, originally timetabled for a meeting of May’s inner cabinet on Thursday, have reportedly been delayed while officials seek a compromise.

Johnson’s comments, while publicly questioning May’s position, are unlikely to be judged as a breach of the cabinet’s ‘collective responsibility’ given that the government’s official policy on customs has not yet been finalised.

However, his public denouncement of plans being personally pushed by the prime minister is the clearest public test of her authority yet by a senior member of her cabinet and is likely to prompt a public response from May’s spokesman when he appears before journalists on Tuesday lunchtime. </s> LONDON — Theresa May's plans to form a "customs partnership" with the EU after Brexit are "crazy," and must be ditched, the foreign secretary has said in the clearest public attack yet on the prime minister's authority.

Boris Johnson told the Daily Mail that May was attempting to create a "crazy system" which would break the key Brexit campaign pledge to "take back control" of Britain's trading system from the EU.

"If you have the new customs partnership, you have a crazy system whereby you end up collecting the tariffs on behalf of the EU at the U.K. frontier," Johnson told the Mail.

"If the EU decides to impose punitive tariffs on something the U.K. wants to bring in cheaply, there's nothing you can do. That's not taking back control of your trade policy, it's not taking back control of your laws, it's not taking back control of your borders and it's actually not taking back control of your money either, because tariffs would get paid centrally back to Brussels."

He added: "It's totally untried and would make it very, very difficult to do free trade deals."

One ally of the foreign secretary told the Sun that Johnson is "completely fed up. He thinks he is the only one pushing Brexit now."

A spokesperson for May today declined to criticise the foreign secretary on Tuesday, saying only that "the entire cabinet [is] signed up to," the two Customs options under consideration, while acknowledging "that there are unresolved issues in relation to both models and that further work is needed."

Johnson's comments are privately backed by other senior Brexiteers in May's Cabinet, including the Brexit secretary David Davis and the Environment Secretary Michael Gove. However, they are at complete odds with the prime minister and her team who are still pushing for her plans to develop the "customs partnership" with the EU.

Both Johnson and Davis have reportedly threatened to resign over the issue as private Cabinet divisions over Brexit increasingly go public.

Senior EU officials are reportedly increasingly worried that Brexit negotiations could collapse as "hardliners" restrict May from securing a deal.

Johnson's preferred alternative of creating a new 'maximum facilitation' system would involve a new 'trusted trader' system, but would also produce border checks in Northern Ireland, which politicians from all side have warned would be a serious risk to the peace process in the province.

Both options would take up to five years to implement and have already been ruled out by EU officials as "magical thinking," with the Irish government threatening to veto any deal that does not retain current loose customs relations between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

UK government officials have been tasked with finding a third compromise option, with a spokesman for May saying last week that the government's policy on customs was now "evolving" as they looked at "a number of options" for resolving the issue.

Discussions about the issue, originally timetabled for a meeting of May's inner cabinet on Thursday, have reportedly been delayed while officials seek a compromise.

Johnson's comments, while publicly questioning May's position, are unlikely to be judged as a breach of the cabinet's 'collective responsibility' given that the government's official policy on customs has not yet been finalised.

However, his public denouncement of plans being personally pushed by the prime minister is the clearest public test of her authority yet by a senior member of her cabinet and is likely to prompt a public response from May's spokesman when he appears before journalists on Tuesday lunchtime.

Our Brexit Insider Facebook group is the best place for up-to-date news and analysis about Britain's departure from the EU, direct from Business Insider's political reporters. Join here. </s> Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson ‘got a complete bitch slap’ from Theresa May after stepping out of line to call for more NHS funding, apparently.

Yesterday Johnson was put back in his place by the PM twice, and by other ministers including Philip Hammond and Jeremy Hunt for his public plea for the health service.

One cabinet minister went as far to say that Boris ‘got a complete bitch slap’, twice by the PM, report ITV, before he was slapped down by other cabinet ministers.

Johnson’s plea, widely perceived as a power play, was publicly rubbished by the chancellor, who reminded him he was in fact the foreign secretary, and not the health secretary.

May has now warned ministers that Cabinet discussions should remain private after Johnson let it slip that he intended to use the weekly meeting to press for an additional £5 billion for the NHS after Brexit.

As ministers gathered in No 10, Johnson was pre-empted by the PM who told the meeting any ‘Brexit dividend’ would be allocated according to the Government’s priorities – including schools and housing as well as health.

In the hour-long discussion that followed, there appeared to be exasperation at Johnson’s latest intervention, with ministers backing May’s view that their talks should remain confidential.

Although there was frustration at the way Johnson broke ranks, it is understood there was some support around the Cabinet for his position.

The Foreign Secretary’s fellow Vote Leave campaigners Michael Gove and Chris Grayling supported his call for the NHS to benefit from the ‘Brexit dividend’, and Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Hunt would also welcome extra funding.

Downing Street made clear that senior ministers had concerns about the privacy of Cabinet talks.

‘The Prime Minister and a large number of ministers made the point that Cabinet discussions should remain private,’ the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.

The spokesman said that while most members had contributed to the discussion, no minister had mentioned a ‘specific number in relation to NHS funding’.

Former minister Anna Soubry warned May Johnson would bring her down unless she sacked him.

Ms Soubry, a prominent pro-EU campaigner, said the time had come for the Prime Minister to get rid of him.

He had shown ‘longstanding incompetence and disloyalty’ and unless May acts now ‘Boris will bring her down’, she said. </s> Boris Johnson has quit as Foreign Secretary just hours after the resignation of Brexit secretary David Davis.

Downing Street confirmed the Prime Minister Theresa May accepted the resignation of the Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs as the government plunges further into turmoil over Brexit.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "This afternoon, the Prime Minister accepted the resignation of Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary. His replacement will be announced shortly. The Prime Minister thanks Boris for his work."

Despite reports Boris Johnson had attended a Cobra briefing at the Cabinet Office, his security detail remained parked outside his official residence on Pall Mall by 2.30pm, having arrived just after 8am.

His security team included six police motorcade riders, along with a Land Rover and his official car and were left waiting on his driveway for most of the day.

Officers twice warned journalists the Foreign Secretary was about to leave, only to then say they had been told to stand by.

Mr Johnson had been due to attend the Western Balkans Summit in London's Docklands this afternoon and to give a press conference at 5pm, but has so far failed to appear.

David Davis has warned the UK is giving "too much away, too easily" in the exit talks, but backed Theresa May to remain Prime Minister after his dramatic resignation rocked her premiership.

How David Davis's resignation as Brexit secretary could topple Theresa May

The outgoing Brexit Secretary said the Government had gone further than it should have in the negotiations, in a "dangerous strategy".

His late-night resignation plunged Mrs May into a fresh leadership crisis and he was swiftly followed out of the Department for Exiting the EU by ally Steve Baker.

Staunch Eurosceptic Dominic Raab was appointed Mr Davis's successor as Brexit Secretary, in a swift move which scotched speculation that Mrs May might take direct charge of negotiations herself.

The 44-year-old Esher & Walton MP enters Cabinet for the first time, having previously served in more junior ministerial posts in the housing and justice departments.

Appearing on BBC Radio 4's Today programme just hours after his midnight resignation, Mr Davis said a leadership challenge would be the "wrong thing to do" and insisted he believed Mrs May was a "good prime minister".

Asked if she could survive, he replied: "Oh yes, of course."

Brexiteer Andrea Jenkyns said Mrs May's premiership was "over" but Jacob Rees-Mogg, who chairs the European Research Group of Eurosceptic Tory backbenchers, said he did not believe there would be an immediate challenge.

Downing Street insiders insisted Mr Davis had resigned over a difference of opinion rather than as part of a push against Mrs May, and said he had "done the honourable thing".

Mr Davis said he told the PM at Chequers that he was going to be the "odd man out in this" as the latest stage of the Brexit strategy was agreed.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today: "It seems to me we are giving too much away too easily and that's a dangerous strategy at this time.

"Hopefully we will resist very strongly any attempt to get any further concessions from us on this, because I think this goes further than we should have gone already."

Describing the plans as having a "number of weaknesses", he explained that it would "not have been plausible" for him to be "front and centre in delivering" it.

Mr Davis said he did not want others to follow him out of Government but added it was a "decision of conscience" that must be made "in their own minds".

He insisted a leadership challenge would be the "wrong thing to do" and ruled out standing against Mrs May.

Letters calling for a leadership contest have reportedly been submitted to the backbench 1922 Committee by some Conservatives over the weekend.

Mr Rees-Mogg urged the PM to drop the plan agreed at Chequers.

He told LBC radio: "I don't think a no-confidence vote is immediately in the offing.

"I think what the Prime Minister needs to do is give up on the Chequers proposals which, David Davis has pointed out in his resignation letter, don't actually deliver Brexit."

Senior Conservative Bernard Jenkin warned there had been a "massive haemorrhage of trust" as a result of the direction the PM was taking and said it "may well come" to a vote over her leadership.

Prominent Remain-supporting Conservative MP Anna Soubry said the Cabinet's Brexit plan was "far from perfect" but represented "grown-up steps".

Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the CBI, said there had been "real rays of light" in the Cabinet agreement on Friday and described the resignation as a "blow".

The Prime Minister faces a stormy meeting with Tory MPs and peers in Parliament on Monday evening as she tries to win support for her plan, which includes an offer to Brussels to share a "common rulebook" on goods and form a new UK-EU free trade area.

In his resignation letter, Mr Davis said the policy "hands control of large swathes of our economy to the EU and is certainly not returning control of our laws in any real sense".

The responsibility for leading the negotiations should now go to an "enthusiastic believer in your approach, and not merely a reluctant conscript", he said.

In her reply, Mrs May told him: "I do not agree with your characterisation of the policy we agreed on at Cabinet on Friday."

The PM is expected to use a Commons statement to tell MPs that the strategy agreed on at Chequers is the "right Brexit" for Britain.

Brexiteer Cabinet minister Michael Gove admitted the Chequers' plan was not everything he had hoped for, but he was a "realist" and the Prime Minister's lack of a Commons majority meant the "Parliamentary arithmetic" was a factor in deciding what could be adopted. </s> LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May’s strategy for leaving the European Union hung in the balance on Monday after two leading eurosceptic ministers resigned in protest at her plans to retain close EU ties after Brexit.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson decided to walk from his job just hours after May’s Brexit minister David Davis did the same. Instead of turning up at a conference of foreign ministers, Johnson instead held crisis talks at his official residence in central London for most of the day.

The two resignations leave May badly exposed at the top of a government unable to unite over Britain’s biggest foreign and trading policy shift in almost half a century.

It also puts a question mark over whether the leader will try to weather the resignations and stand firm in her commitment to pursue a “business friendly” Brexit, or will be faced with more challenges to her authority and calls to quit herself.

The pound fell from around $1.3340 to trade as low as $1.3259, down 0.2 percent the day, after Johnson’s resignation was announced.

Addressing parliament just minutes after her office announced that Johnson, the face of Brexit for many in Britain, had quit, May told lawmakers she appreciated the work of her two ministers.

She added with a hint of irony: “In the two years since the referendum, we have had a spirited national debate, with robust views echoing around the cabinet table as they have on breakfast tables up and down the country.”

“Over that time, I’ve listened to every possible idea and every possible version of Brexit. Mr Speaker, this is the right Brexit,” she said to jeers from the opposition Labour Party.

The departures raise the stakes for May, who believed that she had secured a hard-won agreement with her deeply divided cabinet of ministers on Friday to keep the closest possible trading ties with the EU.

But it soon began to unravel, when Davis resigned late on Sunday and launched a no-holds-barred attack on her plan, calling it “dangerous” and one which would give “too much away, too easily” to EU negotiators, who would simply ask for more.

With Johnson’s resignation, a noisy rebellion among the ranks could gather steam. Many Brexit campaigners in her Conservative Party say she has betrayed her promise to pursue a clean break with the EU.

But in parliament, her words suggested she had decided to face down the dissenters rather than changing her plans.

The EU has been keen to focus minds in Britain. European Council President Donald Tusk raised the idea that Brexit might be called off, writing on Twitter: “Politicians come and go but the problems they have created for people remain.”

“I can only regret that the idea of Brexit has not left with Davis and Johnson. But ... who knows?”

With less than nine months before Britain leaves and just over three before the EU says it wants a deal, May has been forced to show her cards that she will commit the country to pursuing the closest possible trading ties with the EU.

Her earlier reluctance to spell out her strategy was for fear of encouraging exactly this - angering one of the two factions in her Conservative Party that have sparred with each other since Britain voted to leave at a 2016 referendum.

Many eurosceptics accused her of siding with the “Remainers” in her cabinet - those who voted to stay in the EU and have been lobbying for a Brexit that would preserve the complicated supply chains used by many of Britain’s biggest companies.

But on the other side of the party divide, they feel that her words have not been matched by her deeds, proposing to negotiate a deal which could leave Britain still accepting EU rules and regulations without being able to influence them.

“I’m proud of both David Davis and Boris Johnson for standing by their principles,” Scottish Conservative lawmaker Ross Thomson said on Twitter.

“The decisions we take now will shape Britain’s relationship with the EU and the rest of the world for a generation. It’s imperative we do Brexit right, no half measures!”

Earlier May’s spokesman signaled that the prime minister would not back down over her agreed negotiating stance, saying May would now focus on moving the Brexit negotiations forward - a step EU officials and businesses have long called for.

“An agreement was reached by the cabinet on Friday and now we are moving forward to negotiate that plan,” May’s spokesman told reporters. “As the prime minister said ... we have set out our position and it is now the EU’s turn to move and that she wants the EU to get serious in these negotiations.”

But it is still not clear whether the EU will accept her negotiating bid on a free trade area for goods.

By also committing to ending free movement of people, the supremacy of the European court and “vast” payments to the bloc, May could be accused of “cherry-picking” the best bits of the EU by Brussels officials, who are determined to send a strong signal to other countries not to follow Britain out of the door. </s> Boris Johnson is yet again causing Conservative party waves as rumors spread he will launch a leadership bid against British Prime Minister Theresa May.

For the third time, the foreign secretary is believed to be plotting to quit the cabinet, this time over a row about Brexit and the National Health Service (NHS).

Brazen Boris reportedly hopes to challenge the PM and demand a £5 billion (US$7 billion) cash injection for the health service – something once pledged on a Brexit “battle bus.”

Johnson wants £100 million a week more for the health service when the country divorces the European Union.

The promise he made during the referendum has stuck with Boris, especially since it was proven to be unrealistic and those seen with the slogan-clad vehicle have since been accused of intentionally misleading.

One source revealed to the Sun that Johnson was taken down by eight ministers when he tried to tackle May.

“He got a proper b****-slapping,” the source said.

Liam Fox allegedly attacked the foreign secretary for making internal rows public, while Home Secretary Amber Rudd delivered the mother of all digs when she said top Tories should be able to trust on another, adding: “I’m talking to you, foreign secretary.”

Philip Hammond took a shot at Johnson for attempting to meddle in the NHS.

“Well, Mr. Johnson is the foreign secretary,” the UK chancellor told reporters in Brussels. “I gave the health secretary [Jeremy Hunt] an extra £6 billion in the recent budget and we will look at departmental allocations again at the spending review when that takes place.”

Insiders in the Tory Party now believe Johnson will attempt to mobilize support against the PM and will finally launch the expected leadership bid to bring about the kind of Brexit he wants. In 2017, he had his own blueprint for Britain’s exit printed in the Daily Telegraph, causing a furor in the party.

Allies said it is “nonsense” he would leave soon.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt also distanced himself from Johnson’s demand late yesterday, even mocking his audacious attempt to become involved in his colleague’s portfolio. Hunt was challenged about the money – and where it could come from.

“You have to ask the foreign secretary,” he replied.
Theresa May confirms her trust in Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson after he called her post-Brexit trade policy with the European Union "crazy".