Some have warned of chaos if we crash out without an agreement – but just what does a no deal mean for the UK?
What is a no-deal Brexit?
A no-deal British departure from the European Union means leaving without formal arrangements for the future relationship.
Currently Britain's trade, customs and immigration rules are tied up with the single market and a host of EU regulatory bodies.
Ministers are seeking a legal deal to replace these with looser arrangements so we are outside the single market and customs union but keeping close ties so cross-border trade is easy.
Negotiations are ongoing under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty ahead of the UK's exit on March 29, 2019.
Some fear these talks could collapse without a deal agreed before the deadline.
This could mean the UK being treated as a "third country" by the EU with commerce governed by World Trade Organisation rules.
It's reported DUP leader Arlene Foster believes the UK is set to leave the EU without a deal at all.
Leaked emails say the Northern Irish leader was left furious after "hostile and difficult" meetings with the EU boss Michel Barnier.
She is poised for talks to collapse totally between Britain and the EU, which would mean we would leave with no deal at all, the Observer reported.
What happens if there is no Brexit deal?
Mrs May is fighting back against opponents of her blueprint for Brexit, saying Parliament will have to choose between her proposal and crashing out of the European Union without a deal.
It would mean scrapping a 21-month transition period lasting until the end of 2020, and the exit would be immediate.
Brexiteers say it would be a boost for the UK to be free from Brussels rules and we will be able to strike deals with other upcoming nations around the globe.
We would also not be obliged to pay the £39billion divorce bill, according to a House of Commons report – but Chancellor Philip Hammond sparked fury by saying we would pay up even without a deal.
Many people fear the UK economy would be hurt by a "cliff edge" Brexit as trade is held up by new border checks and tariffs and more red tape for businesses.
Doom-monger Bank of England governor Mark Carney has warned house prices could crash by a third in a worst-case scenario.
Customs checks on cross-Channel freight could cause havoc at ports, hitting food supplies and other goods such a motor parts.
In a pure no-deal scenario, businesses would lose their passporting rights, which allow them to sell their services across the EU without having to obtain licences in each individual country.
A no deal would also see residency rights for EU nationals in the UK potentially disappear overnight.
In theory, these people would become "third country nationals", meaning they would be subject to domestic immigration rules.
There is also uncertainty over what would happen at the 310 mile border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.
The EU's rules may require Ireland to impose customs and other checks to protect the bloc’s border – which some say would mark a return to the dark days of the Troubles.
It could blow a hole in the Good Friday Agreement, with pressure on all sides to find a compromise.
What is the government's latest Brexit advice?
The government is releasing a series of "Technical notices" to help prepare British businesses and consumers for a no-deal scenario.
A second tranche of papers has now been released by the validity of British driving licences on the continent, roaming charges for mobile phones and the future of the European space and satellites programmes.
Anyone travelling to the EU should make sure they have at least six months left on their passport, although that will not apply to travel in Ireland.
People applying for a new passport after Brexit will continue to get burgundy passports for a while – although they will not say "European Union" on the front cover
Blue passports will start being issued from late 2019
The papers show:
- Imports from Europe would be subject to customs duties and VAT from day one of a no-deal outcome
- European banks will be able to operate in Britain for at least three years without any change
- But UK institutions would have to strike their own deal to avoid being shut out of the EU market completely
- Ministers are refusing to impose new checks on European medicines because they fear harming the NHS
- Organic farmers could be badly hit because their goods would be shut out from the continent
- Cigarette packets would get new warning images – because the current ones belong to Brussels
- Civil servants are ramping up their work on no-deal Brexit with thousands more officials involved in the plans
What is the latest on Brexit?
The government has released a set of contingency plans outlining the impact of a no-deal Brexit.
The 29 "technical notices’ drawn up by Whitehall cover areas including free trade agreements after the split, fishing policy and rail transport.
Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said the Government is still striving to strike a good deal with Brussels, but added the documents showed the “unlikely” prospect of no-deal is being taken seriously.
The latest batch of documents reveal how the UK will immediately regain control of its waters in a no-deal scenario.
Here are the recent big Brexit developments:
- Theresa May backed her Chequers proposals and slapped down Boris Johnson following his repeated attacks on her Brexit policies at the Tory party conference
- Boris Johnson gave a Brexit rallying cry by insisting the government "chuck Chequers" in his speech on October 2 at a ConservativeHome fringe event in Birmingham.
- The DUP threatened to vote down the Budget – potentially bringing down Mrs May altogether – in a Brexit protest if Northern Ireland remains in the customs union and the rest of the UK leaves.
- No10 refused a renewed EU demand for Britain to stay in a customs union indefinitely until a future trade deal is struck.
- Ministers were warned "judgement day is coming" as the UK and EU strive for a deal within 48 hours.
On November 11, 2018, the EU threw out the PM's compromise plans on the controversial issue of Northern Ireland.
The Prime Minister's plan was described by a Whitehall source as the government's "life support machine" adding "the EU has just turned off the oxygen".
Meanwhile, the DUP and a whole host of Brexiteer have united, vowing to vote down Mrs May's final Brexit deal.
May finally struck a Brexit deal with Brussels on November 13.
The PM tonight summoned the Cabinet to Downing Street to sign off on the details of the withdrawal agreement.
Britain and the EU reached the deal after days of round-the-clock talks in Brussels.
But Brexiteers such as Boris Johnson instantly vowed to vote against the deal and called on the Cabinet to block it.
The PM is seeing her senior ministers one by one throughout this evening – before an emergency Cabinet meeting to be held tomorrow at 2pm.
Details of the proposed agreement have not yet been made public and are likely to be revealed later this week.
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