UK: Brexit defeat in parliament ‘a hiccup’

The British government on Friday dismissed as a "hiccup" its latest parliamentary defeat over Brexit, saying it would keep trying to renegotiate its EU divorce deal just six weeks before exit day.

But senior minister Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the House of Commons, conceded that the setback might affect the ongoing talks with the European Union.

"Yesterday was more of a hiccup than the disaster," she told BBC radio.

She added: "The one problem with last night's vote is that it allows the EU to continue with this pretence that they don't know what we want. And they do know what we want."

MPs on Thursday night rejected by 303 votes to 258 a motion expressing support for Prime Minister Theresa May as she seeks changes to the Irish "backstop" in her Brexit deal.