British government hopeful of securing deal with EU - Gove

Britain's government is hopeful it can secure a deal with the European Union to cover their future relationship, cabinet office minister Michael Gove said on Wednesday, describing politics as the main difficulty.

Asked whether it was possible to reach agreement in the short time remaining, Gove told a parliamentary committee: "My judgment is that it's perfectly possible to do so."

"The principal difficulty is not a difficulty of technical detail - the technical detail on both sides is well understood - it's a difference of political position, and I hope that we can break that impasse."