UK’s May taps pro-Brexit lawmaker for key post

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday tapped pro-Brexit lawmaker Dominic Raab to replace the chief Brexit negotiator who abruptly resigned, according to multiple reports.

Brexit Secretary David Davis was at the helm of Britain’s exit from the European Union when he resigned on Sunday. He reportedly quit out of frustration with May’s “soft” approach to Brexit, which leaves room for continued trade and financial ties with other European nations, according to Reuters.

May’s conservative party is deeply divided over how to approach the U.K.’s split from the EU, with some arguing for a total break and others opting for continued close relations with the rest of the union.

May won the backing of her Cabinet last Friday for a plan that would create a “U.K.-EU free trade area.”

While Davis’s departure indicates tension within the party, May is hoping Raab will help support her vision for Brexit, according to Bloomberg.

Raab is 46 years old and has been a member of Parliament since 2010, BBC reported.

Davis told BBC he believes Raab will be “very effective,” but said they will discuss the job’s challenges.

“You hand over a job and tell him what the pitfalls are,” Davis said on Monday. “That is what I will do.”

Davis told BBC he resigned because he did not support the direction that Brexit is headed, with too much control given to the EU.  

May will bring her Brexit deal to the Parliament later this year, when conservatives could vote against the agreement, Bloomberg reported. May is working to avoid this destabilizing outcome.