Theresa May still has ‘more work to do’ to secure Brexit deal with EU

A spokesperson for the Prime Minister has said Theresa May still has "more work to do" in order to secure assurances on the UK's exit from the European Union before the next parliamentary debate.

May is said to have spoken to EU leaders over the Christmas period about reassurances on the deal, particularly on the so-called Irish backstop, which is an insurance policy to avoid a hard border between the UK and Ireland.

"There’s still more work to do. The PM is absolutely focused on doing that in the lead up to the vote itself," the spokeswoman told reporters.

A debate is due to be held on the withdrawal agreement on 14 January, having been postponed since before the Christmas recess to the outrage of many MPs on both sides of the house.

May admitted that had the debate gone ahead in December as planned, the deal would have been struck down.

Today, DUP leader Arlene Foster said while her party still requires some changes to be made to the current withdrawal agreement, it will work with the government to "achieve a better deal".

"For our part, we want to leave with a sensible deal which works for the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland in particular but also our neighbours in the Republic of Ireland," said Foster.

"We want an orderly exit which implements the referendum result."

"We have been consistent throughout the negotiations that Great Britain is Northern Ireland’s main market therefore, any deal which will undermine the economic or constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom single market, will not have DUP support."