Cheerleaders perform in front of anti-Brexit demonstrators outside the Houses of Parliament in London, ahead of the upcoming American football Superbowl on upcoming Sunday, Thursday Jan. 31, 2019. The Superbowl will be played between the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots Sunday Feb. 3, in Atlanta, USA.(Victoria Jones/PA via AP)
February 03, 2019 - 4:22 AM
LONDON - The Latest on Brexit, Britain's impending departure from the European Union (all times local):
12:15 p.m.
Germany's foreign minister is calling for "clear proposals" from Britain as it seeks to avoid a chaotic withdrawal from the European Union and underlining the EU's insistence that the Brexit divorce deal rejected by British lawmakers is "already a compromise," particularly in regards to Northern Ireland.
Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, with or without a Brexit deal. U.K. lawmakers voted last week to seek changes to the agreement but the EU is adamant that it cannot be renegotiated. How to handle the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland is one of the Brexit dilemmas.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas tells the Funke newspaper group published Sunday that "we need clear proposals from London" and rejected a suggestion that the EU's position is increasing the risk of a no-deal Brexit. He says "if the British want to avoid an unregulated Brexit, our offer is on the table. We negotiated a fair Brexit agreement."
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11:50 a.m.
Nissan has cancelled plans to make its X-Trail SUV in the UK — a sharp blow to Brexit supporters, who had fought to have the model built in northern England.
The move, first reported on Saturday by Sky News, was confirmed by the company in a letter to workers Sunday. The next generation X-Trail will instead be made in in Japan.
Nissan employs about 7,000 workers in the English city of Sunderland.
Nissan had previously announced plans to build the model at its plant in Sunderland after the British government sent a letter of undisclosed reassurances in 2016 after the Brexit vote about the company's ability to compete in the future.
Britain is scheduled to leave the European Union on March 29, but U.K. politicians are divided over Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan.
News from © The Associated Press, 2019