Brexit talks collapse as UK Opposition blames 'weak' Theresa May

A day after British Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to set a June timeline for her exit from Downing Street, the Opposition Labour Party ended the cross-party Brexit talks on Friday without arriving at any agreement.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn wrote to May to declare an end to the process, blaming the "weakness and instability" of her government as a leadership contest gets underway within the ruling Conservative Party.

"The increasing weakness and instability of your government means there cannot be confidence in securing whatever might be agreed between us," Corbyn wrote.

"As you have been setting out your decision to stand down and Cabinet ministers are competing to succeed you, the position of the government has become ever more unstable and its authority eroded," he noted.

Stressing that his party had conducted the exercise in "good faith" and that some constructive effort had gone into finding a possible consensus, there has been growing concern within the Opposition ranks about the government's ability to deliver on any compromise agreement.

The Labour Party has been in favour of a form of a common customs arrangement with the European Union (EU) that keeps the UK aligned with its European neighbours on trade tariffs post-Brexit.

Some Labour MPs have also insisted they would not back a deal with the government unless it includes another referendum.

Both scenarios have caused anger among Brexit-backing Conservatives, who claim a customs union would stop the UK negotiating its own trade deals around the world and who believe another public vote is undemocratic.

In his letter to the British PM, Corbyn noted: "Not infrequently, proposals by your negotiating team have been publicly contradicted by statements from other members of the Cabinet.

"In recent days we have heard senior Cabinet ministers reject any form of customs union, regardless of proposals made by government negotiators."