UK attorney general hails EU reassurances letter ahead of crucial vote

Britain's attorney general, Geoffrey Cox, said on Monday that an EU letter outlining assurances on Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit agreement, particularly on the so-called Northern Irish backstop, would have legal force. In a letter to May published on a government website, Cox added that while the letter did not "alter the fundamental meanings" of the deal's provisions, it was his judgment that "the current draft withdrawal agreement now represents the only politically practicable and available means of securing our exit from the European Union".