Conservative MP David Davis, former Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, attends the launch of A Better Deal in London, Britain, December 12, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/File Photo

(Reuters) - Former Brexit minister David Davis said in an opinion essay published on Wednesday that UK Prime Minister Theresa May should delay the vote on her Brexit deal for leaving the European Union.

“The more we prepare to leave the EU without a deal, the more likely a good deal becomes,” Davis said in an opinion piece in the Telegraph newspaper. He wrote that the EU is worried about losing the 39 billion pounds divorce payment that would come with a Brexit deal.