Britain should not view March 28 as deadline to reach Brexit deal -business minister

Britain does not have until the day before its March 29 exit from the European Union to reach a Brexit deal as businesses have to make decisions now, business minister Greg Clark said on Monday.

Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal was rejected in parliament last month and the government is trying to make changes to win the support of lawmakers.

"We should not regard March 28 as being the time that is available to us to negotiate because it is the case that manufacturers place orders for components with suppliers and they are doing that now," he said. "We don’t have the luxury in my view of waiting until March 28, we need to conclude this matter very quickly." (Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Angus MacSwan)