Theresa May asks ministers to 'hold their nerve' after impasse with European Union over Brexit

London: British prime minister Theresa May told her ministers on Monday that they must hold their nerve in an impasse with the European Union (EU) over Brexit, her office said after a cabinet meeting.

May said her plan was the only viable one on the table and that she remained confident of securing a deal with the EU, her office said in a statement. “At the same time, the government will continue to sensibly plan for no deal,” the statement quoted her as saying.

May’s spokesman on Monday said that her senior ministerial team remains fully behind her Brexit proposals, after her plans were savaged by EU leaders at a summit last week.

May’s Conservative Party is deeply divided over the direction talks with EU, with opponents of her plans, including her former Brexit minister David Davis, holding a press conference to spell out an alternative vision based on a free trade agreement.

Her cabinet of top ministers is due to discuss the ongoing negotiations with the bloc and her spokesman reiterated that May remained committed to her plans. “The cabinet gave its full support to the white paper (her proposals), and that continues to be the case,” the spokesman told reporters.

The British prime minister, who has called for the EU to evolve their negotiating position, will also meet the European Parliament’s chief Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt on Monday, her spokesman said.

With inputs from Reuters