The 2017 general election has resulted in a hung parliament - throwing the UK's plans to leave the European Union into disarray.

Theresa May was hoping for a strong mandate ahead of key negotiations with the European Union on Britain's departure, but instead it is unclear what the UK's position will be, or who will be leading the talks.

With calls from business groups and politicians for negotiations to be delayed, there is now talk that the UK may be forced to seek a "soft Brexit".

But what are the other options available to the UK if it steps back from a clean break with the EU?

How do other countries do it?

The UK could try to negotiate Norwegian-style membership of the European Economic Area (EEA), which would grant it almost full access to the single market while letting it strike trade deals without the rest of the EU. However, it would have to pay into the EU budget.

The “Swiss” option – based on a multitude of bilateral trade deals – would grant partial access to the single market in exchange for a smaller EU budget contribution.

Turkey has tariff-free access to most of the single market, but its customs union agreement means it has to slap tariffs on non-EU trade.

The UK could also conduct trade under World Trade Organisation rules, but would face tariffs on imports.

The head of the WTO has also suggested Britain would also have to reapply for membership.

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