Posted June 12, 2017 22:24:42

Photo: No Brexit deal is better than a bad one, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May said. (Reuters: Dylan Martinez)

Britain's plan for leaving the European Union has not changed, Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman said, despite the disastrous election gamble that has plunged British politics into chaos days before formal Brexit talks begin.

Ms May failed to win a majority in parliament at the election last week, prompting calls for her plan to leave the EU's single market to be watered down, and for some rival MPs to demand that the Brexit process be delayed.

"Our position is clearly set out, it is clearly set out in a number of places and there has been no change to that," Ms May's spokesman said.

"Obviously there will be discussions in cabinet but he [Brexit Minister David Davis] also set out very clearly that we have set out our plans clearly and there is no change to those."

Mr Davis said talks with the EU may not start on Monday as planned but they would still begin next week.

He suggested the Government would focus on the divorce proceedings before moving on to trade.

The Prime Minister's authority in is in obvious freefall, but in this political climate few could rule out more bizarre twists and turns that could save her, writes Europe correspondent James Glenday.

The Brexit issues include the rights of EU citizens in Britain and UK citizens in the EU, how much Britain will have to pay to cover previous spending commitments and the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Ms May's spokesman said the Prime Minister was still committed to completing the Brexit process inside two years, as originally planned, and that Britain would still be prepared to walk away from negotiations without a deal if necessary.

"Our position remains that we want to get the best possible deal for the United Kingdom, we are confident of doing that but of course what you wouldn't wish to do is to agree to anything which would be harmful to the interests of the whole United Kingdom," he said.

"We are confident of securing a deal which is good for the whole United Kingdom.

"You obviously wouldn't want to accept a deal which was worse than leaving without a deal."

'Good progress' made in DUP talks

The election result forced Ms May to search for a deal with a small party of Northern Irish politicians, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), to prop up her government and vote through vital legislation.

"The talks are ongoing with the DUP, good progress is being made," the spokesman said.

The first test of any deal is expected to come at the Queen's Speech — a formal occasion at which the government asks parliament to approve its legislative agenda.

The speech was scheduled to take place on June 19, but the spokesman said an update would be issued on that subject, without commenting on whether it might be delayed.

The BBC has reported that the speech would be pushed back a few days.

Reuters

Topics: elections, government-and-politics, world-politics, united-kingdom, european-union