At a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May pledged that she could achieve a "smooth and orderly Brexit."
Merkel was apparently satisfied with the promise, saying it was good that there were "proposals on the table," referring to the expected soft Brexit plan, which would see the UK sign up for the establishment of a free trade area with the EU and the adoption of European standards on foods and goods.
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On Thursday, May is expected to present the Brexit plan agreed upon by the cabinet last week. She said the white paper would keep "faith with the vote of the British people" and the UK would depart from the European Union in a "smooth and orderly" manner.
The press conference kicked off shortly after the resignation of two Tory vice-chairs, Ben Bradley and Maria Culfield. Bradley, the MP for Mansfield, said the outcome of the Chequers proposals would be "the worst of all worlds," while Caulfield, the MP for Lewes, lamented that May's compromise plan doesn't "fully embrace the opportunities that Brexit can provide."
The MPs released resignation letters after Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit Secretary David Davis quit the government at the start of this week to protest the PM's plans to maintain a close trading relationship with the EU post-Brexit.
Johnson warned that the UK was heading for the status of European Union "colony"; Davis called May's plan a "dangerous strategy at this time."
There's less than one year to go for May as Britain's departure from the bloc is scheduled for March 2019. Meanwhile, post-Brexit trade and customs arrangements with the EU remain unclear, prompting businesses operating within the UK to threaten to reconsider investments in the country, which could put thousands of UK-based jobs at risk.
