UK's May plans Cabinet changes as Brexit enters new phase

British Prime Minister Theresa May will shuffle her Cabinet as she tries to bolster her authority ahead of a crucial new phase in Brexit negotiations.

May says she will re-jig government ranks "soon," with changes expected as soon as Monday.

May's grip on power was weakened by her Conservative Party's poor showing in a June election, which saw it reduced to a minority government.

But she got a boost last month when the European Union agreed to start discussing future trade relations with Britain.

May told the BBC in an interview broadcast Sunday that she hoped to secure agreement with the EU on a post-Brexit transition period by March 31, and to draft a withdrawal agreement by year's end.

This comes as the British government scraps a promise to reconsider the ban on fox hunting, a centuries-old rural tradition contentiously outlawed more than a decade ago.

May's Conservative Party pledged to let lawmakers vote on repealing the ban during last year's election.

The party did worse than expected, losing its majority in Parliament.

May said in a BBC interview broadcast Sunday that she had received a "clear message" from the public and would not hold a vote before the next election, due by 2022.

Allowing dogs to chase and kill wild mammals was banned in 2004 amid concerns about animal cruelty.

The ban did not end traditional hunts, in which mounted riders and hounds race across the countryside. Dogs now follow a scent trail instead of a fox.

Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, 2019.