Britain about to leave the European Union with no deal?

Britain, as a permanent member of the European Union, has had more or less influence on the European economy and even the world economy.

But recently, British Prime Minister Theresa May gave her clearest indication so far on Monday that Britain would be prepared to leave the European Union with no deal.

Addressing MPs in the House of Commons on the first day back after the conference season, May said achieving a special partnership after Brexit will require leadership and flexibility, not just from Britain, but from the 27 nations of the EU.

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"As we look forward to the next stage, the ball is in their court. But I am optimistic it will receive a positive response," May told MPs in her first parliamentary statement since her big speech last month in Florence.

"What we are seeking is not just the best possible deal for us, but I believe that will also be the best possible deal for our European friends too. Progress will not always be smooth but by approaching these negotiations in a constructive way in a spirit of friendship and cooperation and with our sights firmly set on the future, I believe we can prove the doomsayers wrong." added May.

In her statement, May said the British government had published on Monday two new policy consultation statements on trade and customs.

"These pave the way for legislation to allow the UK to operate as an independent trading nation and to create an innovative customs system that will help us achieve the greatest possible tariff and barrier-free trade as we leave the EU," said May.

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, responded to May's speech by saying that 16 months on after the referendum, no significant progress has been made.

The government is no closer to deciding what it wants, said Corbyn.

May's statement came as the fifth round of negotiations between Britain and the EU started in Brussels.

Brexit Secretary David Davis sat alongside May as she delivered her statement, with Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson seated some distance away.

Some media observers speculated this could be significant after calls on May to fire or demote Johnson.

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Brexit：Would UK-US trade deal harm the UK?

The UK will begin to talk with the US on a post-Brexit trade deal on 24 July.

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox will spend two days in Washington with US counterpart Robert Lighthizer.

EU rules mean the UK cannot sign a trade deal until it has left the bloc.

Mr Fox said it was too early to say exactly what would be covered in a potential deal. Firms and trade unions have both warned of the risks of trying to secure an agreement too quickly.

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The Department for International Trade said discussions were expected to focus on "providing certainty, continuity and increasing confidence for UK and US businesses as the UK leaves the EU".

Mr Fox added: "The UK-US trade and investment] working group is the means to ensure we get to know each other's issues and identify areas where we can work together to strengthen trade and investment ties."

'Small practical things'

The British Chambers of Commerce director general Adam Marshall said the US's experience at such negotiations would make it difficult for the UK to secure a good deal.

Mr Marshall said while the BCC's business group's members would welcome the US and the UK talking about how to increase trade between them, the focus should be on improving "small practical things" such as custom procedures rather than a comprehensive trade deal.

Trade unions the TUC and Unite have also expressed disquiet over a rushed US trade deal.

"Ministers should be focused on getting the best possible deal with the EU, rather than leaping into bed with Donald Trump," TUC boss Frances O'Grady told the Guardian.

US President Donald Trump and UK PM Theresa May at the G20

Donald Trump said he expected a "powerful" trade deal with the UK to be completed "very quickly"

But independent economist Michael Hughes said that talking to the US at this stage was important.

"To have some preliminary ides and get some basic principles out is a sensible thing to do," he said.

He said currently talks were expected to focus on financial services and farming.

"In both cases it is likely that the UK would have to water down some of the standards it currently has, either in terms of genetically modified food or in terms of regulation of financial services firms operating in the UK, in order to get a deal, so it's a delicate one," he added.

Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump said he expected a "powerful" trade deal with the UK to be completed "very quickly".

At the time, a UK government official said Mr Trump and UK Prime Minister Theresa May had agreed to prioritise work on a post-Brexit trade deal.

US-UK trade facts

Trade between the two countries is already worth over $200bn (£150bn) a year

In 2015, US exports of goods and services to the UK were $123.5bn, up by 4% from 2014, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis

The US is the single biggest source of inward investment into the UK

Together the UK and US have around $1 trillion invested in each other's economies

The trading relationship between the UK and the US supports over a millions jobs in both countries.

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France Wants ‘Use Brexit Destroy UK’s Economy’

France hopes Brexit will weaken London and degrade Britain's lucrative financial sector, a senior City representative has warned.

In a leaked memorandum, Jeremy Browne said French authorities were seeking "disruption".

"They are in favour of the hardest Brexit," he wrote.

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"They are crystal clear about their underlying objective: the weakening of Britain, the ongoing degradation of the City of London."

Mr Browne a former Liberal Democrat minister and since 2015 the City's special representative to the EU, attended talks with various French authorities earlier this month.

The memorandum, which was leaked to the Mail on Sunday, summarised for ministers Mr Browne's impressions following those talks and others in Luxembourg, where he said the tone was more co-operative.

"The meeting with the French Central Bank was the worst I have had anywhere in the EU " he wrote.

He acknowledged that the French were possibly simply taking tough negotiating positions, the "bad cop" approach, but said that "nevertheless ... France sees Britain and the City of London as adversaries, not partners."

"Every country, not unreasonably, is alive to the opportunities that Brexit provides, but the French go further, making a virtue of rejecting a partnership model with Britain and seemingly happy to see outcomes detrimental to the City of London even if Paris is not the beneficiary."

Mr Browne said the mood in France was "more giddy and more assertive" since Emmanuel Macron was elected president in May and that "French representatives [were] currently crashing conspicuously around London, making heroic relocation promises."

Several European cities, including Frankfurt, Dublin and Brussels as well as Paris are vying to attract business that may shift out of London following the UK's departure from the EU.

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Financial institutions are drawing up contingency plans to open new subsidiaries within the rest of the EU to ensure they can continue to do business-as-usual post-Brexit.

Mr Browne suggested that France's adversarial tone was jarring with other EU member states, aiming for a more conciliatory approach.

"There is plenty of anxiety elsewhere in the EU about the French throwing their weight around so aggressively, but their destructive impulses are not being confined, and other EU countries that want a friendly relationship with Britain and the City of London are being marginalised," he wrote.

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Brexit Effect - Shoppers ‘in The Dark’

Brexit is a word means the UK leaving the EU - merging the words Britain and exit to get Brexit,is same as a possible Greek exit from the euro was dubbed Grexit in the past.

UK shoppers are "completely in the dark" about the effect Brexit will have on their weekly shop, a former Sainsbury's boss said.

Justin King, who ran the supermarket for a decade, said the "last thing" any current supermarket boss would reveal was their intention to put up prices.

But he added it was "very clear" shoppers would face "higher prices, less choice and poorer quality".

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Food and farming combined are the UK's biggest manufacturing sector and the EU is involved all along the chain - from what grows in British fields to the labels in shops.

Media captionEx-Sainsbury's boss warns Brexit will impact our weekly shop.

The EU also guarantees free trade across the continent and Mr King - who supported Remain - said this frictionless movement kept food prices down.

Mr King, who has said the weaker pound will push up prices, added that EU membership helped retailers find the best suppliers and markets throughout Europe.

He also said the EU had driven up standards and enabled the UK to get out-of-season vegetables all year round.

EU tariffs

But manufacturing boss and Vote Leave campaigner John Mills believes the EU keeps prices artificially high for the shopper.

He said: "Food prices inside the EU vary from food product to food product, but the average is something like 20% higher than they are in the rest of the world - so there is very substantial scope for food prices coming down if we switch sources of supply outside the EU."

Mr Mills, chairman of consumer goods firm JML, said cheaper prices may not mean lower standards.

He said: "The reason why food prices are higher inside the EU is because they have got tariffs which keep the prices up.

"It's not anything to do with quality - it's due to the institutional arrangements with means the food prices are kept much higher to increase farmers' incomes."

'Once in a lifetime'

Jacob Anthony, a 24-year-old fifth generation beef and sheep farmer who runs a 700-acre farm in Bridgend, Wales, voted to leave the EU.

"I'm a young farmer and I'm looking to the future," he said. "I think a lot of us in the industry were not happy with the way the sector was going and I thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for realistic change."

Farmer Jacob Anthony hopes that leaving the EU will open up export opportunities.

Mr Anthony said leaving the EU would give British farmers a chance to strike new trade deals and push into new emerging markets.

Last year, 13% of UK-produced beef was exported, according to the AHDB, whose spokesman said it was largely the bits British shoppers did not want.

'Get on the agenda'

Conservative MP James Cleverly insists that the UK doesn't "have to just roll over" in Brexit negotiations.

He said: "We are a highly desirable market. That actually gives us some strength in the negotiations."

For Mr Mills, it is the establishment who "doesn't really like Brexit".

"And they are throwing up difficulties all over the place, which I don't think are going to materialise to anything like the extent to which they claim," he said.

Ex-Sainsbury's boss Mr King is concerned, however, that "there has been, in my estimation, almost no conversation about the potential impact of Brexit on the food supply chain by definition".

He said with less than two years to go until Brexit, "food needs to get on the agenda pretty soon".

Defra said: "We will not in any way dilute high quality environmental standards, we will make sure our environment and animal welfare are protected."

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