EU's Barnier says Britain secures post-Brexit transition

Britain's Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis and European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier pose ahead of a meeting in Brussels, Belgium, March 19, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union and Britain agreed that their divorce treaty would include an emergency "backstop" to avoid a hard border in Ireland, the bloc's Brexit negotiator said on Monday, adding that meant London would now get a transition deal.

"We have transition deal," Michel Barnier told reporters after a weekend of late-night negotiations with Britain. "We have agreed that the backstop solution must form part of the legal text of the withdrawal agreement."