Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May
British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative Party began gathering for its annual conference on Saturday, bitterly divided over her plans to leave the European Union which threatens to derail any deal and put her own job in doubt.
Just six months before Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, 2019, May has said talks to clinch a divorce deal are at an impasse.
She has said her "Chequers" proposals are the only viable option, but EU leaders have said parts of them are unacceptable and many Conservative lawmakers have threatened to vote down a deal based on May's blueprint.
The uncertainty has led to business concerns that there will be no deal, potentially leading to tariffs and border delays.
British Business Secretary Greg Clark said on Saturday there were grounds for optimism that Britain would strike a Brexit deal with the European Union, after Japanese carmaker Toyota warned that leaving without an agreement would hit its output.Just six months before Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, 2019, Prime Minister Theresa May has said talks to clinch a divorce deal are at an impasse.She has said her "Chequers" proposals are the only viable option, but EU leaders have said key parts of them are unacceptable and many lawmakers in her own Conservative Party have threatened to vote down a deal based on May's blueprint.The uncertainty has led to concerns that Britain will leave without a deal which businesses, particularly carmakers, have said would be hugely damaging."Of course we want a deal," Business Secretary Greg Clark told BBC radio. "No one should be under any illusion that the prime minister and our negotiating team are absolutely determined..."There are grounds for optimism that we can reach an agreement on this," he said.Clark was responding to comments from the boss of Toyota's plant in central England, who told the BBC a no-deal Brexit would hit production.It is the latest in a series of warnings from carmakers that any delays at borders could slow the movement of components and finished models, adding costs and crippling output.May calls for businesses to invest in post-Brexit UK"If we crash out of the EU at the end of March the supply chain will be impacted and we will see production stops in our factory," said Marvin Cooke, managing director of Toyota's Burnaston plant, which produced 144,000 models last year.Earlier this week other carmakers in Britain including BMW, McLaren and Honda said they had triggered some Brexit contingency plans, such as certifying models in the EU, and were working on redrawing production schedules and stockpiling more parts.The moves aim to ensuring plants, which rely on the just-in-time delivery of tens of thousands of components, can keep operating after Brexit, but will add costs and bureaucracy which could risk their long-term viability.Jaguar Land Rover, Britain's biggest carmaker, has warned it does not know whether its plants will be able to operate in six months' time and that the wrong Brexit deal could cost thousands of car jobs. Video: How the EU was formed
UK business minister optimistic of Brexit deal after Toyota warning
Japanese carmaker Toyota on Saturday warned that leaving without an agreement would hit its production and jobs would ultimately be at risk.
"Of course we want a deal," Business Secretary Greg Clark told BBC radio, saying May and her negotiating team were determined to secure a deal and there were grounds for optimism.
"That's why the next few weeks are going to be important to go through issue by issue what's being proposed to address whether there are any residual concerns that the negotiators have and with a cool head and recognising the common interest in this, resolve them one by one."
A summit of EU leaders last week ended in a blunt dismissal of May's proposals, which they said would fail to resolve arguments over the land border of Northern Ireland, in the UK, with the Irish Republic, in the EU, one of the main sticking points to a deal.
The European Union's "intransigence" in Brexit negotiations is the reason for the real prospect of Britain leaving the EU without a deal, the deputy leader of the Northern Irish party backing Britain's minority government said on Friday."The Dublin government and the EU has weaponised the idea of an Irish backstop against the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland's position within it. Their intransigence is now causing the real prospect of a no deal," the Democratic Unionist Party's Nigel Dodds said in a statement, adding that nobody wanted that."We will judge any proposals about the way forward against the test of whether they preserve and respect the political, constitutional and economic integrity of the United Kingdom with no part hived off into separate EU arrangements, and deliver a sensible overall Brexit deal for the United Kingdom."Boris and Theresa punchbags help Londoners vent their Brexit rageEU's Barnier says working for Brexit deal, close economic ties laterGerman institutes warn of recession if trade conflict escalates
EU 'intransigence' is reason why no deal Brexit is real prospect: N.Ireland's DUP
In an interview with the Sun newspaper, Britain's Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said the Irish issue was being used by some in the EU Commission "for political purposes", but said he was open to suggestions from the bloc.
"I think they want a deal," he said. "We aren’t pretending there aren’t alternative proposals that we would look at. But we need credible responses for the proposals we have set out or credible alternatives, and we haven’t seen them yet."
SHADOW OF BORIS
As Conservative lawmakers and party members began arriving in Birmingham, central England, for what is expected to be a fractious party conference which starts on Sunday, many have said the Chequers plans are dead and should be torn up.
Leading Brexit hardliner and former foreign secretary Boris Johnson, who quit over the issue, called on Friday for a free trade agreement with the bloc, saying the current proposals would leave Britain in "enforced vassalage" to the EU.
Londoners fed up with Brexit can vent their rage with a special gym routine that includes high-intensity exercises like pummelling punchbags bearing photographs of some of the main players like Boris Johnson and Jean-Claude Juncker.The 30-minute circuit also features the "Theresa May Sack Race," "Jacob Rees-Logg lifts" and "Politico Headslammer" in which participants slam balls on to pictures of British Prime Minister Theresa May and opposition Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn.There is also a "Cameron Quitters' Corner" named after May's predecessor David Cameron to take time out.The Brexfit classes are being offered by fitness company Gymbox, whose boss Marc Diaper said the theme was chosen by a members' poll of their main frustrations with living in the British capital.EU's Barnier says working for Brexit deal, close economic ties laterFifty two percent of respondents said Brexit, followed by rent prices and train delays."We thought well, what better way to actually release frustration and anger than actually put on a Brexfit class as we've called it, where you can actually punch your most hated politician in the face on a punch bag," he told Reuters.The course was designed with the help of an anger management expert, said fitness instructor Boriss Visokoborskis."Members are leaving our classes feeling relieved, lighter and they do something good for themselves, they work on their body," he added.German institutes warn of recession if trade conflict escalatesStudent Ania Jarzabkiewicz, 26, originally from Poland, said she felt "amazing" after the class."I have a problem to get my student loan because of Brexit, so today I really take out my frustration on this whole situation and I feel really good," she said.Fitness coach George, 25, said his favourite exercises were the sack races and punch bags. In this particular class, leading Brexiteer and former Foreign Secretary Johnson bore the brunt of his frustration.May calls for businesses to invest in post-Brexit UK"It'd be wrong to punch him in the face in real life so ... doing it on a punch bag there's nothing wrong with that, and it's definitely a great way to get your frustration out," he said.With six months until Britain leaves the EU, May has yet to reach a deal on the terms of the divorce, and her plan for future trade ties has been rebuffed by both the EU and many in her own Conservative Party.Corbyn said this week that Labour would vote against a Brexit deal based on May's proposals, the strongest warning yet to a prime minister whose plan to leave the EU is hanging by a thread. 
Boris and Theresa punchbags help Londoners vent their Brexit rage
Johnson, the bookmakers' favourite to succeed May, declined to answer directly whether he would rule out a leadership challenge.
While May and government ministers continue to express confidence that a final Brexit deal can be agreed, they have also insisted no-deal would be better than a bad deal.
However, Toyota became the latest high-profile business to warn that leaving the world's biggest trading bloc without any trading agreement could add costs and cripple output at plants which rely on the just-in-time delivery of tens of thousands of components.
"If we crash out of the EU at the end of March the supply chain will be impacted and we will see production stops in our factory," said Marvin Cooke, managing director of Toyota's Burnaston plant, which produced 144,000 vehicles last year.
Earlier this week other carmakers in Britain including BMW, McLaren and Honda said they had triggered some contingency plans, such as certifying models in the EU, redrawing production schedules and stockpiling parts.
Jaguar Land Rover, Britain's biggest carmaker, has warned it does not know whether its plants will be able to operate in six months' time.
"The additional burden of import and export cost would add permanent costs to our business," Toyota's Cooke said. "It would reduce our competitiveness. Sadly I think that would reduce the number of cars made in the UK and that would cost jobs."