Britain to publish tips for event of no-deal Brexit on Thursday

LONDON -- Downing Street confirmed Sunday that the British government will this week publish a series of technical papers to prepare for leaving the European Union with no deal.

The advisories, due to be released Thursday, will be aimed at citizens businesses and public bodies, but Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab insisted that Britain securing a future trading deal with the EU was still the most likely outcome.

Raab who travels to Brussels on Tuesday for talks with EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, said making alternative arrangements for the responsible thing for the government to do.

Raab is scheduled to make a speech Thursday in Westminster setting out the government's plans for a no deal.

Raab said: "It is the responsibility of the EU to ensure its consumers and businesses are not harmed. The UK Government believes this is best achieved by both sides taking a non-disruptive approach and will be encouraging cooperation with the EU on no-deal planning.

"Securing a deal is still by far the most likely outcome, but we want to make sure that we clearly set out the steps that people, businesses and public services need to take in the unlikely event that we don't reach an agreement.

"It's the responsible thing for any government to do, to mitigate the risks and make sure the UK is ready to make a success of Brexit."

Downing Street described the advice due on Thursday as sensible, proportionate, and part of a common sense approach to ensure stability, whatever the outcome of talks.

An official spokesperson said the government wanted to ensure "consumers and businesses are not harmed" by the possibility of no deal being agreed.

The Sunday Express in London claimed Sunday that 100 members of Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative Party could rebel against her so-called soft-Brexit blueprint.

May already leads a minority government, relying on the 10 members of the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland to give her a slender majority in the House of Commons.

May's proposed deal brokered at a meeting of her senior ministers at her country retreat, Chequers, led to a string of resignations in protest at her proposals. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit Secretary David Davies were among the ministers who quit their jobs.

The Sunday Express said a number of Conservative MPs, led by leading Brexiteer, Jacob Rees-Mogg, are drawing up alternative proposals to May's own proposed deal.

The newspaper said Number 10 is standing firm against any demands and there were signs last night that Brussels is willing to compromise to reach a deal.

Meanwhile multi-millionaire businessman Julian Dunkerton has donated 1.3 million U.S. dollars to the campaign group People's Vote who are pressing for a new EU referendum.

Dunkerton said Sunday said there was a genuine chance to turn around the decision to leave the EU. His donation, the largest received by the People's Vote, will go towards funding opinion polls.

The campaign group wants the public to have a vote on any final deal reached with the EU on Britain's future trading relationship after it leaves the bloc next March.

Dunkerton added: "I will be paying for one of the most detailed polling exercises ever undertaken by a campaign so that more and more people have the confidence to demand the democratic right for their voice to be heard."

Supporters of Brexit claim the People's Vote campaign is aimed at overturning the decision of the 2016 referendum when people in Britain voted by 52-48 to leave the EU.