May visits Africa to forge trade ties for post-Brexit UK

UK's prime minister is visiting Africa for the first time as national leader in a bid to boost trade ties ahead of the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union.

Before the visit, Theresa May took issue with her right-hand man, Chancellor Philip Hammond, when she said from the RAF Voyager aircraft on Tuesday that a no-deal Brexit was a better prospect than leaving the EU with a bad deal.

Reuters reported May said a no-deal Brexit "wouldn't be the end of the world", undermining Hammond's dire warnings in a letter last week that it would seriously damage the UK economy.