Britain's Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Stephen Barclay arrives in Downing Street, London, Britain, January 17, 2019. REUTERS/Toby Melville

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is still working on what to ask from the European Union to allay lawmaker concerns over the backup plan that aims to prevent a hard border on Ireland, Brexit minister Stephen Barclay said on Tuesday.

When asked on BBC television what Britain’s specific proposal was, he said: “We are working on that as part of the listening exercise.”

He added: “The EU don’t want to be in a situation of having no deal - that would have a big impact not just on the Irish economy but other economies, the Dutch economy - so it’s in both sides’ interest to have a deal.”

Barclay said May’s deal, which suffered the biggest defeat in modern British history last week, was the most popular of choices available.

“Actually, the most popular of the options is the prime minister’s deal,” Barclay said.