LONDON, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May said Wednesday that "I firmly believe the draft agreement is the best result" of the Brexit negotiations between London and Brussels, but acknowledged that "there will be difficult days ahead."
May, speaking to reporters shortly after the end of a full cabinet meeting in Downing Street, said that the cabinet has backed the draft Brexit agreement, reached on Tuesday by negotiators from both Britain and the European Union.
May described the cabinet support as "a decisive step" which enables the country to move on to leave the European Union in March next year.
"The decision is in the best interest of the entire UK," she said in her short statement after the cabinet ended the meeting. "The decision is not taken lightly."
"The draft agreement is the best that could be negotiated," she said. "The deal enables us to take back control."
Earlier Wednesday, the prime minister defended the draft agreement when speaking to the parliament.
"I am confident that this takes us significantly closer to delivering what the British people voted for in the referendum," she said, referring to the vote for Brexit in the country two years ago.
The British people voted by a 52-48 margin in June 2016 to leave the world's largest trading bloc.
"We will take back control of our borders, our laws and our money, leave the Common Fisheries Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy while protecting jobs, security and the integrity of our United Kingdom," she said.
The cabinet meeting, which kicked off at 1400 GMT to discuss the draft deal, last some five hours, longer than expected.
The cabinet gathering was a "long, detailed and impassioned debate" on Brexit, she said.
She said it was a "decisive step" in the progress of Brexit, and would allow the agreement to be finalized in the coming days.
"I firmly believe, with my head and my heart that this is a decision which is in the best interests of the United Kingdom," she said.
The draft divorce deal represented a technical breakthrough after months of tense negotiations between Britain and the EU on how Britain can leave the regional bloc on March 29 next year.
The draft agreement is understood to involve the UK remaining in a customs union and committing to a "level playing field" on EU rules in areas such as environmental and workplace protections during a backstop period after Brexit.
The agreement was released by the European Union in Brussels late Wednesday shortly after the conclusion of the British cabinet meeting.
Hard Brexiters reacted negatively to the proposed deal and indicated that they intended to vote against it if it came to parliament.
"I hope cabinet will block it, or if not, parliament will block it," said Jacob Rees-Mogg, a member of the parliament and the chairman of the European Research Group.
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson, who resigned as foreign secretary, said that he believed the deal was "vassal state stuff." He said that the UK would be bound by laws over which it had no say, which was "utterly unacceptable."
The draft agreement needs the support of the divisive cabinet and approval of the British parliament, it also requires a green light from all the 27 remaining European Union member states.
If the withdrawal agreement is ratified by both sides, Britain will enter a 20-month transition period after it leaves the European Union next March.
