FILE PHOTO: German Minister of Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas delivers his statement, during the Geneva Conference on Afghanistan, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, November 28, 2018. Salvatore Di Nolfi/Pool via REUTERS

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Britain could crash out of the European Union without a deal, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Tuesday, urging British lawmakers to back an agreement that Prime Minister Theresa May sealed with the bloc last year.

“Even a no-deal scenario is still an option -- despite the serious damage that this would cause on both sides,” Maas said in a speech at Ireland’s annual ambassadors’ conference.

He added that the EU would not accept a hard border separating EU-member Ireland from the British province of Northern Ireland.