LONDON/BRUSSELS: 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.”
EU says Brexit talks must move on after UK minister quits: The European Parliament’s chief Brexit coordinator on Monday said the British government must unite on a way forward in talks for its exit from the European Union after its Brexit Secretary David Davis quit.
“I enjoyed the cooperation with David Davis,” Guy Verhofstadt, who leads the Parliament Brexit team, said on Twitter. “I hope the UK unites around a position to conclude a broad Association Agreement with the EU. It is in the interest of both that we move the negotiations forward.”
Davis said on Monday he had resigned to stop Prime Minister Theresa May from handing too much power to the EU, increasing the pressure on a British leader struggling to overcome Brexit divisions.
