Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte holds a news conference on the final day of the G20 leaders summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina December 1, 2018. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Tuesday he hoped Britain would leave the European Union next year within the framework of an agreed deal, but said EU partners needed to prepare for the worst.

“We need to underline the need for Britain to depart from the European Union in an orderly fashion,” Conte told parliament. “(But) we will continue to work with our European partners to prepare for the little-hoped-for scenario of an exit without a deal.”