Brexit minister says Parliament will have to choose between no deal or no Brexit if can't agree on terms

Brexit minister Stephen Barclay said on Wednesday that if parliament cannot support an exit agreement with the European Union it will face a choice between a no-deal Brexit and cancelling Britain's decision to leave the bloc. May's deal was roundly rejected by parliament last week and Barclay said further talks needed to be held with the EU once there was clarity on what lawmakers might be willing to support.

"If we were to find that we can't secure a deal, then the House (of Commons) in essence has a question: does it have a no deal or does it revoke," he told a committee of members of the upper house of parliament, the House of Lords. Asked if the government was running down the clock to the March 29 exit day to pressure lawmakers into backing May's deal, Barclay said it was not in the government's interests to do so as time would be needed to prepare for a no-deal exit.