British and EU officials were meeting Saturday to try again to break the deadlock over their divorce deal, less than three weeks before Brexit. The two sides are trying to find a way to make the withdrawal agreement acceptable to British MPs, who have already rejected it once and will vote again on Tuesday. Sources in London and Brussels said "technical talks" continued on Saturday but there were no political-level discussions planned at this stage.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has promised her MPs to try to secure changes to the deal's arrangements for the Irish border after Brexit. But her demands have been rejected by Brussels, raising the risk that Britain severs 46 years of ties with the EU on March 29 with no new arrangements in place. In what was taken as a sign that London does not expect any new concessions, finance minister Philip Hammond on Saturday urged MPs to back the deal regardless.
Hammond, who makes his spring budget statement on Wednesday, told the Financial Times that approval would enable him to start spending money set aside for a "no deal" divorce.
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