EU steps up planning for no-deal Brexit after UK gets tough

British Minister of State for International Trade Liz Truss speaking to Japan's Minister for Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi at the Department for International Trade as they formally begin negotiations on a free trade agreement. The UK has secured its first major post-Brexit trade deal after signing an agreement with Japan which will boost trade by an estimated £15 billion.

The European Union stepped up planning for a "no-deal" Brexit after the UK refused to revoke a plan to break the divorce treaty that Brussels says will sink four years of talks.

Britain said explicitly this week that it plans to break international law by breaching parts of the Withdrawal Agreement treaty that it signed in January when it formally left the bloc. It says the move is aimed at clarifying ambiguities, but it caused a new crisis in talks less than four months before a post-Brexit transition period ends in December.