Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street in London, Britain February 21, 2018. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May still believes a deal can be reached to restore Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government, her spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

The British province has been without a devolved executive

for over a year since Irish nationalists Sinn Fein withdrew from the compulsory power-sharing government with their arch-rivals, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

May spoke to Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Monday evening.

“The Prime Minister said she had met with both Sinn Fein and the DUP last week and that she still believes a basis for accommodation remains,” the spokeswoman said.

On Brexit, May reaffirmed her commitment to avoiding a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland or between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom, the spokeswoman said.