
Business leaders from the City of London are to send a delegation to Brussels with a proposal for a post-Brexit free trade deal for financial services, it is reported. According to the Financial Times, the group will be led by former City minister Mark Hoban as banks fear the fallout from Brexit negotiations if access to EU markets is curtailed.

Economists have downgraded Britain’s growth prospects in the wake of political uncertainty following the general election and as a prolonged Brexit drag on business investment looms. New forecasts by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) show that the UK economy will grow by just 1.3% in 2017, a substantial downward revision from an earlier forecast of 1.7%.

Brexit is not a dominant issue for European Union countries, Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond acknowledged as he called for jobs and prosperity to be the first priority in the negotiations. The Chancellor told business leaders that the UK had to remember that Brexit was “just one among many challenges” facing the other EU members.

Britain's chief Brexit negotiator David Davis warned Sunday that any attempt from within the Conservative Party to have Prime Minister Theresa May replaced would be catastrophic as the European Union might push for a punishment deal. Davis also said that no deal at all would be better than such an agreement. Archbishop of Canterbury also takes a stand.

Talks between the United Kingdom and the European Union to finalise Britain's exit from the continental block started Monday in Brussels, about one year after Britons voted that their country is to leave the bloc by March 30, 2019. But Europe is determined to set an example so that other countries will not be attracted to the idea, even if it includes leaving an open door for Britain to stay.

Angela Merkel has said she sees no obstacles in the way of beginning Brexit talks as scheduled after Theresa May failed to win a majority in Thursday's UK election. The German chancellor said she believed Britain would stick to the timetable, adding the European Union was ready.

Britain's Conservatives have lost their majority in a snap general that has resulted in a hung parliament. With just a handful of seats left to declare, Thursday polls shows gains for the opposition Labour Party. This is seen as a humiliation for PM Minister Theresa May, who chose to call the election to try to strengthen her hand in talks with the EU on Brexit.

Europe can no longer completely depend on the US and UK following the election of President Trump and Brexit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said. Mrs. Merkel said she wanted friendly relations with both countries as well as Russia but Europe now had to fight for its own destiny.

Britain's economy slowed more sharply than first thought in early 2017 as consumers felt the hit from the rise in inflation that followed the Brexit vote and exporters struggled to benefit from the weak pound. Thursday's downbeat official data - which contrasts with signs of acceleration in many other economies - comes two weeks before Britons vote in a national election.

Gibraltar will switch the EU flag for the Commonwealth flag as it seeks to forge “strong and enduring” trade relationships around the world after Brexit, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said. The Chief Minister was speaking at the opening of a conference focusing on Brexit and the importance of the Commonwealth to the UK and Gibraltar’s futures.