German Chancellor Angela Merkel addresses the lower house of parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany December 12, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

BERLIN (Reuters) - There is still time to agree an orderly British exit from the European Union, German Chancellor said on Wednesday, adding that although time was running short, she was still hopeful that a damaging disorderly departure could be avoided.

“We have little time left, but we do still have enough time,” she told a session of German parliament held to discuss the upcoming summit of EU leaders, at which Brexit will be discussed.

“I can only say to German citizens that we are working hard to make sure we get an orderly Brexit,” she added.

Sterling, battered by uncertainty over British Prime Minister Theresa May’s political future and the arithmetic of getting the withdrawal agreement through the British parliament, leapt to a daily high against the dollar after Merkel’s remarks.

But Merkel, who met May in Berlin on Tuesday, said none of the remaining 27 members of the European Union have any intention of modifying the exit agreement, which has found little support in Britain’s parliament.

“We have no intention of changing the exit agreement,” Merkel told a session of the German parliament held to discuss the upcoming Brussels summit of EU leaders. “That is the common position of the member states.”