The UK’s Brexit Minister, David Davis quit his post, saying Theresa May had “given away too much too easily”.

Mr Davis said he could not remain in his post because he no longer believed in the plan for the UK’s future relations with the EU said he had lived with compromises in Brexit policy for two years but there came a point where these went “too far”.

Mr Davis has been replaced by Dominic Raab who is currently the UK’s housing minister. Mr. Raab was a prominent Leave campaigner during the 2016 Brexit referendum.

44-year old Mr Raab, a practising lawyer before becoming a Member of Parliament in 2010, will now take over day-to-day negotiations with the EU’s Michel Barnier.

In BBC interview today, Mr Davis said Mr Raab would be “very effective” in the post.

The European Commission has declined to comment on the change of personnel, saying it would continue to negotiate with “good will” to try and secure an agreement on the terms of the UK’s exit and future relations.

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The response states that:

• The safety of patients is of paramount importance to the UK Government’s exit negotiations and that it is preparing for all potential outcomes but is “increasingly confident that the prospect of a ‘no deal’ scenario is highly unlikely”

• The Government recognises the importance of a close and cooperative relationship between the UK and EU in relation to medicines and devices regulation and it wants to explore the terms on which the UK could remain part of EU agencies, including the European Medicines Agency (EMA)

• Under the terms of the implementation period (from the UK leaving the EU in March 2019 until the end of 2020), the UK will no longer be an EU Member State but businesses will be able to trade on the same terms as now until the end of 2020. This includes the EU continuing to accept UK batch testing, release and inspections, UK-based Marketing Authorisation Holders (MAH) and other key roles including QP certification

• During the implementation period, the current EU principles and guidelines of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Good Distribution Practice (GDP) will continue to apply in the UK. There is no current policy intention for any divergence, though the UK MHRA will have the power to update these principles and guidelines in the future to reflect evolving best practice

• In relation to goods, including medicines and devices, the Government’s position is that the UK-EU border should be as frictionless as possible and products should only need to undergo one set of approvals to be sold in both the EU and UK

• The UK Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is currently assessing the impact of Brexit on the supply chain for all medicines and devices used in the National Health Service (NHS).

UK citizens participating in on-going trials in the UK will not be affected by the UK’s exit from the EU or the end of the implementation period.

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Mrs May promised to end to the UK’s “vast contributions” to the EU but also pledged to push for the “greatest possible” access to the single market following Brexit. She added that it was not her intention to “undermine” the EU or the single market.

In her much-awaited speech, she also announced that the UK Parliament would get a vote on the final deal agreed between the UK and the European Union.

In her speech, The Prime Minister announced the UK’s 12 priorities for Brexit negotiations.

These included;

• Maintaining the common travel area between the UK and Irish Republic

• Tariff-free trade with the EU

• A customs agreement with the EU

• Continued “practical” sharing of intelligence and policing information

• “Control” of immigration rights for EU citizens in the UK and UK citizens in the EU

Tariff-Free Trade with Europe

The Prime Minister insisted that she “wants Britain to be able to negotiate its own trade agreements but I also want tariff-free trade with Europe and cross-border trade to be as frictionless as possible. That means I do not want Britain to be part of the common commercial policy.

Mrs May reiterated that the Government would not be providing a “blow-by-blow” account of its exit negotiations which will commence after Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty is invoked by the end of March 2017.

She warned the EU against a “punitive” reaction to Brexit, as it would mean “calamitous self-harm for the countries of Europe and it would not be the act of a friend”.

She said: “This agreement should allow for the freest possible trade in goods and services between Britain and the EU’s member states.

“It should give British companies the maximum possible freedom to trade with and operate within European markets and let European businesses do the same in Britain. But I want to be clear: what I am proposing cannot mean membership of the single market.”

EU leaders have said the UK cannot “cherry pick” access to the single market while restricting the free movement of people.

Customs Union

On a Customs Union, Mrs May said, “I do want us to have a customs agreement with the EU, whether that means we must reach a completely new customs agreement, become an associate member of the customs union in some way or remain a signatory to some elements of it, I hold no preconceived position.

Immigration and EU Nationals

Mrs may stated that EU Nationals will continue to be welcomed in Britain. “You will still be welcome in this country, as we hope our citizens will be in yours. We want to guarantee the rights of EU citizens who are already living in Britain and the rights of the British nationals in other member states as early as we can. Our guiding principle must be to ensure that as we leave the European Union, no new barriers to living or doing business within our own union are created,” she said.

However, she added that “Brexit must mean control of the number of people who come to Britain from Europe and that is what we will deliver”.

A Brighter Future

Addressing an audience including foreign ambassadors in central London, Mrs May said the UK had “voted for a brighter future for our country” and would become “stronger, fairer, more united” after Brexit.

She said the UK’s history was “profoundly internationalist” and would remain so.

The prime minister said the UK had often been seen as “an awkward member state”, but the EU had not demonstrated “enough flexibility on many important matters for a majority of British voters”.

She told the remaining 27 EU member states: “We will continue to be reliable partners, willing allies and close friends. We want to buy your goods, sell you ours, trade with you as freely as possible, and work with one another to make sure we are all safer, more secure and more prosperous through continued friendship.”

Mrs May called for a “new and equal partnership” with the EU, “not partial membership of the European Union, associate membership of the European Union, or anything that leaves us half-in, half-out”.

“We do not seek to adopt a model already enjoyed by other countries. We do not seek to hold on to bits of membership as we leave,” she said.

People who voted Brexit “did so with their eyes open”, the prime minister said, calling the vote a “great moment of national change”.

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It means the government cannot trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty – to commence the formal exit-negotiations with the EU – without allowing Members of Parliament to firstly vote on it.

British Prime Minister, Theresa May had insisted that the referendum – and existing ministerial powers – negated any requirement for British Members of Parliament (MPs) to vote on the issue. However, campaigners called this unconstitutional and they took their case to the High Court which today ruled in their favour.

The government says it will appeal the decision , with a further hearing expected next month.

A parliamentary statement is due to be made to MPs on Monday but an official statement issued by the Prime Minister’s office today said that “the government is disappointed by the Court’s judgment. The country voted to leave the European Union in a referendum approved by Act of Parliament. And the government is determined to respect the result of the referendum. We will appeal this judgment”.

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