British PM May hopes lawmakers will back Brexit plan - spokesman

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May hopes lawmakers will back her proposal to offer them a say over a Brexit deal, her spokesman said on Tuesday, before a showdown in parliament over her plans to leave the European Union.

May cannot accept a competing proposal from Britain's upper house of parliament because it would undermine the government's ability to get the best possible deal with the EU, he said.

"We cannot accept the amendment on (a) meaningful vote agreed in the Lords. Agreeing to amendable motions would allow parliament to direct the government on its approach to exiting the EU, binding the prime minister's hands and making it harder to secure a good deal for the UK," he told reporters.

(Reporting by William James; writing by Elizabeth Piper)