LONDON (AP) — The Latest on Brexit negotiations (all times local):
12:45 p.m.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar says the European Union has penciled in a Nov. 25 summit to discuss a Brexit deal if the British Cabinet approves the draft document.
Varadkar told Irish lawmakers that "we are close" to "a legally binding and legally operable withdrawal agreement." But he says nothing is guaranteed, and a lot of things can still go wrong.
Britain's Cabinet is meeting Wednesday to decide whether to support the draft divorce deal, which includes a proposal to keep the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland free of customs checks after Brexit.
Varadkar says Irish lawmakers will also get a vote on the draft deal. It also needs to be approved by the EU and the British and European Parliaments.
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12:20 p.m.
The German government is holding back on its assessment of the draft deal on Britain's exit from the European Union, saying it has yet to be briefed on the details.
A spokeswoman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters in Berlin on Wednesday that "the government naturally welcomes any progress that leads to Britain's departure taking place in an orderly manner."
Martina Fietz, said the EU's executive, which is negotiating with Britain, will brief the other 27 members of the bloc Wednesday at 3 p.m. (1400 GMT).
She added that Brexit isn't on the agenda for Merkel's weekly Cabinet meeting Thursday.
Maria Adebahr, a spokeswoman for Germany's Foreign Ministry, said that "should there be an agreement, or significant progress be announced, we would very much welcome that."
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12:15 p.m.
U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May says a draft divorce agreement with the European Union "takes us significantly closer to delivering what the British people voted for" when they decided to leave the bloc.
May told lawmakers that the deal means Britain will "take back control" of its laws and borders "while protecting jobs, security and the integrity of our United Kingdom."
May's Cabinet is due to meet later Wednesday to consider whether to back the deal. Pro-Brexit politicians are already attacking it, saying it will bind Britain to EU rules and regulations long after it leaves the bloc in March.
May said the Cabinet would decide what to do "in the national interest."
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8:30 a.m.
British Prime Minister Theresa May is set to face her divided Cabinet in a bid to win support for a draft Brexit deal with the European Union.
Negotiators from the two sides have reached agreement on divorce terms, including a plan to resolve the key issue of the Irish border.
But pro-Brexit lawmakers in May's divided Conservative Party are angry, saying the agreement will leave Britain tethered to the EU after it departs in March. Failure to secure Cabinet backing will leave May's leadership in doubt and the Brexit process in chaos.
If Cabinet supports the deal Wednesday, it needs approval from the EU at a summit in the next few weeks. Then May will need to win backing from Parliament, where pro-Brexit and pro-EU legislators alike are threatening to oppose it.
