Britain's parliament will "very likely" have to ratify an eventual agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union when the country leaves the bloc, a British government lawyer said on Tuesday.

 

James Eadie, who is representing Prime Minister Theresa May's government in a High Court challenge over who has the right to trigger divorce talks, said lawmakers would very probably be allowed a say on the final exit deal.

 

"The government view at the moment is it is very likely that any such agreement will be subject to ratification" Eadie said.

 

But he accepted the EU and Britain could agree that a deal would come into effect without parliamentary approval.

 

Sterling, which has fallen by nearly 20 percent against the U.S. dollar since the June referendum on concerns about the impact of Brexit on Britain's economy, jumped by more than half a cent on Eadie's remarks.