LONDON, July 9 — David Davis resigned as Brexit Secretary in what threatens to be a major blow to UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s authority, his office said yesterday.

His resignation comes just two days after May secured the backing of her cabinet — including Davis — for a plan to keep close ties to the European Union after leaving the bloc. Davis had disagreed with May’s plans for keeping EU rules for goods and adopting a close customs partnership with the other 27 member countries.

The BBC reported that at least one other minister will also be resigning, though no names were given.

As the minister responsible for the Brexit negotiations, Davis is a key voice in the debate in the UK. His departure has the potential to derail May’s government and even set in motion a chain of events that could lead to an attempt to oust her as prime minister.

His exit comes at a critical and highly sensitive time for May’s strategy. On Friday she achieved a rare consensus in a key cabinet meeting at her Chequers country house estate on the way forward for the negotiations with the EU.

Despite concerns from Brexit backers like Davis and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, they both agreed to support May’s proposal for a softer divorce than she originally planned.

It seemed that she had survived the storm. Yet, while reasons for Davis’s departure have yet officially emerged, it seems likely that he decided he could not accept the premier’s blueprint after all.

May will have a key meeting with members of her Tory party to discuss her plan in Parliament today. — Bloomberg </s> (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> Britain’s most senior official in charge of negotiating the country’s exit from the European Union resigned Sunday, accusing Prime Minister Theresa May of undermining Brexit with her plan to keep close trade ties with the bloc.

Brexit Secretary David 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.

In a blow to the beleaguered prime minister, Davis told May in a letter that the government’s proposals for close trade and customs ties “will leave us in at best a weak negotiating position, and possibly an inescapable one.”

Davis’s late-night resignation undermined May’s already fragile government, which has lost several ministers in the past year over sexual misconduct allegations and other scandals. Davis was a strong pro-Brexit voice in a Cabinet divided between supporters of a clean break with the bloc and those who want to keep close ties with Britain’s biggest trading partner.

May’s office said a replacement for Davis would be announced Monday.

His departure could embolden Brexit-supporting Conservative lawmakers – who have long considered May too prone to compromise with the EU – to challenge her leadership.

The staunchly pro-Brexit Conservative lawmaker Andrea Jenkyns tweeted: “Fantastic news. Well done David Davis for having the principal and guts to resign.”

Jenkyns said Steve Baker, a junior minister in the Brexit department, had also quit. There was no immediate comment from Baker.

Less than nine months remain until Britain leaves the bloc on March 29, 2019, and the EU has warned Britain repeatedly that time is running out to seal a divorce deal.

On Friday, Davis and the rest of May’s fractious Cabinet finally agreed on a plan for future trade ties with the EU.

May is due to brief lawmakers Monday on the plan hammered out during a 12-hour meeting at Chequers, the prime minister’s country retreat. It seeks to keep the U.K. and the EU in a free-trade zone for goods, and commits Britain to maintaining the same rules as the bloc for goods and agricultural products.

Some Brexit-supporting lawmakers are angry at the proposals, saying they will keep Britain tethered to the bloc and unable to change its rules to strike new trade deals around the world.

In his resignation letter, Davis said the “common rule book’ 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.”

He said he was worried the government’s negotiating approach would “lead to further demands for concessions” from Brussels.

“It seems to me that the national interest requires a secretary of state in my department that is an enthusiastic believer in your approach, and not merely a reluctant conscript,” he wrote.

In a letter to Davis, May disagreed with his characterization of her plans, saying the deal she seeks “will undoubtedly mean the returning of powers from Brussels to the United Kingdom.”

Conservative lawmaker Jacob Rees-Mogg, a leader of the party’s “hard Brexit” faction, compared May’s plan to an egg so softly boiled that it “isn’t boiled at all.”

“A very soft Brexit means that we haven’t left, we are simply a rule-taker,” he said.

Some Brexiteers dream of replacing May with a staunch Brexiteer, such as Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who in the past has disagreed publicly with his boss.

Johnson has not commented publicly since Friday. But some senior pro-Brexit ministers have backed May’s plan. Environment Secretary Michael Gove said Sunday that it did not contain everything he wanted but “I’m a realist.”

“All those of us who believe that we want to execute a proper Brexit, and one that is the best deal for Britain, have an opportunity now to get behind the prime minister in order to negotiate that deal,” he told the BBC.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App </s> David Davis, Britain's chief negotiator in talks over the country's planned departure from the European Union, has resigned from his post.

The move came 48 hours after Prime Minister Theresa May announced that her Cabinet had agreed on a controversial proposal to offer the EU a post-Brexit free trade deal for goods.
• Davis announced his resignation in a letter to May's office. He justified the decision on what he said was Britain's problematic Brexit policy, writing that it would leave the country "in at best a weak negotiating position, and possibly an inescapable one."
• The government, he added, also risked making "the supposed control by Parliament illusory rather than real," handing over "large swathes of our economy to the EU," and "not returning control of our laws in any real

 sense."
• He ended the letter, writing that "the national interest requires a Secretary of State in my Department that is an enthusiastic believer in your approach, and not merely a reluctant conscript."
• May thanked Davis in a written reply to his letter, but wrote that she did not agree with his "characterization" of the government's Brexit policy. The proposal signed off on Friday would, she added, met the criteria for an acceptable post-Brexit relationship with the EU.
• Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that Steve Baker, a junior minister in Britain's Brexit Department, also resigned.

'Theresa May has no authority left'

Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn suggested Theresa May should resign in response to Davis' resignation, writing on Twitter: "David Davis resigning at such a crucial time shows @Theresa_May has no authority left and is incapable of delivering Brexit."

Who is David Davis? The Conservative Party politician headed the Department for Exiting the European Union and acted as London's chief envoy in negotiations with Brussels that began in mid-2017. Davis was considered among the most ardent Brexit supporters in May's Cabinet and had reportedly threatened to resign multiple times before.

Brexiteer anger: The Cabinet agreement on a post-Brexit free trade deal was initially seen as a win for May. She has been fighting to keep her government united on a common Brexit strategy as negotiations enter their final phase in the run-up to Britain's departure in March 2019. But hardliners adamant that Britain should seek a clean break with the EU quickly railed against the proposal, arguing it would keep Britain too close to the bloc.

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here. </s> Sign up for one of our email newsletters.

LONDON — British media outlets say the most senior official in charge of negotiating Britain's exit from the European Union has quit Prime Minister Theresa May's government.

The Press Association news agency, the BBC and others say Brexit Secretary David Davis resigned Sunday, 48 hours after May announced that her divided government had at last agreed on a plan for ties with the EU after the United Kingdom leaves next year.

Davis's late-night resignation undermines May's fragile government. He has been a strong pro-Brexit voice in a Cabinet divided between supporters of a clean break with the bloc and those who want to keep close ties.

Brexit-backing lawmakers have been angered by May's plans, saying they will keep Britain too close to the EU and limit its ability to strike new trade deals. </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) — 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. </s> (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):

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> (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) - British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson resigned Monday, adding to divisions over Brexit that threaten to tear apart Prime Minister Theresa May's government.

May's office said in a terse statement that the prime minister had accepted Johnson's resignation and would name a replacement soon.

Johnson, one of the best-known and most flamboyant members of the government, quit just hours after the resignation late Sunday of Brexit Secretary David Davis, the government's top Brexit official.

Davis said he could not support May's plan to maintain close trade and regulatory ties with the EU, which he said gave "too much away, too easily."

There was no immediate statement from Johnson, another loud pro-Brexit voice within May's divided government.

If Davis's resignation rattled May, Johnson's shook the foundations of her government.

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

Less than nine months remain until Britain leaves the bloc on March 29, 2019, and the EU has warned Britain repeatedly that time is running out to seal a divorce deal.

Britain and the EU hope to reach broad agreement by October so that EU national parliaments can ratify a deal before Britain leaves. That timetable looks increasingly optimistic, but European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said the EU was available "available 24/7."

Schinas said the bloc "will continue to negotiate in good will, bona fide, with Prime Minister Theresa May and the U.K. government negotiators in order to reach a deal."

Steve Baker, a junior Brexit minister also resigned. May appointed staunchly pro-Brexit lawmaker Dominic Raab as the country's new Brexit secretary.

Before Johnson quit, May's official spokesman, James Slack, said Britain wanted to "move forward at pace" in the negotiations.

"There is now a new secretary of state and we look forward to moving on," he said.

During a 12-hour meeting on Friday, May's fractious Cabinet - including Davis - finally agreed on a plan for future trade ties with the EU.

The plan seeks to keep the U.K. and the EU in a free-trade zone for goods, and commits Britain to maintaining the same rules as the bloc for goods and agricultural products.

Some Brexit-supporting lawmakers are angry at the proposals, saying they will keep Britain tethered to the bloc and unable to change its rules to strike new trade deals around the world.

In a resignation letter, Davis said the "'common rule book' 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."

Davis also said that May's plan "would be a risk at least of delivering a poor outcome."

His departure was hailed by pro-Brexit Conservative lawmakers, who have long considered May too prone to compromise with the EU. They believe the proposals breach several of the "red lines" the government has set out, including a commitment to leave the bloc's tariff-free customs union.

Some euroskeptic lawmakers dream of replacing May with a staunch Brexiteer, such as Johnson, who in the past has disagreed publicly with his boss.

Davis said he did not want his resignation to become a rallying cry for May's ouster.

"I like Theresa May, I think she's a good prime minister," Davis said.

Davis did not urge other ministers to resign, saying he was in a unique position because the Brexit secretary's job is to sell the government's policy.

"I'd have to deliver this. I'd have to do something I didn't believe in," he told the BBC. "That's not a tenable position. ... Others don't have that same responsibility."

Under Conservative Party rules, a confidence vote in a leader can be triggered if 48 Conservative lawmakers request one.

But leading pro-Brexit legislator Jacob Rees-Mogg said "I don't think a no-confidence vote is immediately in the offing." He urged May to abandon her plans and take a tougher line with Brussels.

"Friday's announcement was turning red lines into a white flag, and David Davis has made that so clear in his resignation letter," Rees-Mogg said.

Danica Kirka in London and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this story.

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David Davis resigns as the United Kingdom's Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union amid disagreements with Prime Minister Theresa May over Brexit negotiations.