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<p>The Government has been in discussions with technology companies for many months.
While no contracts have yet been signed, in the event of doing so we will follow the
usual process.</p><p>Parliament has been clear in what is needed to unite behind a
Withdrawal Agreement: namely, legally binding changes to the backstop. The Prime Minister
has set out three ways in which legally binding changes to the backstop could be achieved.
First, the backstop could be replaced with alternative arrangements to avoid a hard
border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. Secondly, there could be a legally binding
time limit to the existing backstop, or thirdly, there could be a legally binding
unilateral exit clause to that backstop.</p><p>The Prime Minister and President Juncker
agreed that our teams should hold further talks to find a way forward, both will meet
again before the end of February to take stock of those discussions.</p><p> </p>
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