UK Brexit chief criticizes EU as divided Conservatives meet

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Britain's Brexit chief appealed for Conservative Party unity on Monday, as he warned the European Union that the U.K. will leave the bloc without a divorce deal rather than accept one that makes Britain follow too many EU rules.

Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab's call to "come together, because this is a moment for the optimists" fell largely on deaf ears at the Conservative conference in Birmingham. Instead, pro-Brexit politicians took pot-shots at the EU, pro-EU Conservatives battled to stop the U.K.'s exit from the bloc — and British Prime Minister Theresa May was caught in the middle, trying to cling to power.