British Prime Minister Theresa May's busy week of Brexit negotiations continues. Before heading back to Brussels, May addressed parliament, reiterating the importance of the EU to the UK after it leaves the bloc next year.
"The European Union remains a close trading partner to the United Kingdom. As we leave the EU, we want to ensure we continue to have a good trading relationship with the European Union. And we will be able to have an independent trade policy that enables us to make decisions to trade around the rest of the world," May said.
May is to meet with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels to finalize the Brexit agreement.
She said the future relationship deal with the EU was still under negotiation. But the withdrawal agreement - which had been agreed upon - guaranteed that there would be no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.
May's spokesperson: Confidence and supply still in place
The DUP has abstained on several votes on the government's finance bill this week, prompting questions over whether the so-called confidence and supply arrangement had been abandoned.
"It is our position that the confidence and supply is still in place," May's spokesperson said on Wednesday.
John McDonnell: Not a majority for either deal
May's government is in disarray over Brexit but there is no majority in parliament for damaging the economy by leaving the EU without a deal, the opposition Labour Party's finance minister-in-waiting said on Wednesday.
Labour Finance Chief John McDonnell said there was not a majority in parliament for either May's deal or for leaving the EU without a deal.
Irish PM: Agree to a 'no-deal deal'
Britain and the EU would need to agree a "no-deal deal" on customs and regulations within weeks of a hard Brexit to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Wednesday.
"It is my view that if we did end up in a no-deal situation, we would find ourselves having to negotiate a no-deal deal quite soon thereafter," Varadkar told parliament, saying a hard Brexit might not last more than a few weeks.
(With input from Reuters)