Theresa May has insisted her commitment to avoiding a hard border in Northern Ireland is 'unshakable'.

She made the comments during a speech in Belfast this afternoon.

It comes after MPs last week voted for Mrs May to seek 'alternative arrangements' in Brussels to address the Brexit backstop issue, despite the EU having ruled out any re-negotiation. 

The British Prime Minister today firmly ruled out the prospect of any physical infrastructure or checks.

She explained: "This means people on either side of the border will be able to live their lives as they do now."

"I understand what a hard border would mean - not just in terms of the disruption at the border itself, but in terms of trade for the whole island."

She also stressed that the UK remains committed to the Good Friday Agreement, and won't do anything that puts it at risk.

Mrs May added: "As Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, it is a profound honour and duty [...] to do my utmost to support the peace, prosperity and progress that can give the people of Northern Ireland the brightest future for generations."

Parliamentary vote

Mrs May said she can only deliver on the commitments the UK has made regarding the Irish border, "if I can get a deal through the UK Parliament."

She said MP across the House of Commons supported last week's  amendment which re-affirms the UK Government's desire to leave with a deal and its commitment to preventing hard border.

She warned that this commitment would mean replacing the backstop with another arrangement that avoids a hard border or "making legal changes to the backstop to introduce a time limit or create an exit mechanism."

"I know the prospect of changing the backstop and reopening the Withdrawal Agreement creates real anxieties here in Northern Ireland and in Ireland - because it is here that the consequences of whatever is agreed will most be felt," she said.

"I recognise too that the majority of voters in Northern Ireland voted to remain and that many will feel that once again decisions taken in Westminster are having a profound - and in many cases unwanted - impact on Northern Ireland and Ireland."

Backstop

She said she is "determined to work towards a solution that can "command broader support from across the community in Northern Ireland.

She noted that she continues to believe technology can play a part in avoiding a hard border.

She said that while the UK will look at "alternative arrangements" these "must be ones that can be made to work for the particular circumstances of Northern Ireland."

She said there are a number of commitments that will underpin the UKs approach to the negotiations:

• The UK will "stand by our commitment in the joint report that there will be no hard border including any infrastructure or related checks and controls."
• The UK will not "compromise on my promise to protect Northern Ireland's integral place in the UK" - and insisted there will be no new regulatory barriers between Northern and Britain without Stormont having its say
• The UK will work to fully protect all existing cross-border cooperation.
• The UK will uphold the rights enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement "for all the people of Northern Ireland, right across the whole community."

Mrs May was speaking ahead of her trip to Brussels where she will meet with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

EU leaders - and the Irish Government - have consistently made it clear that the backstop cannot be re-negotiated.

Throughout the negotiation process, the EU has warned that any agreement must include a legally-binding all-weather solution that ensures there will be no return to a hard border in the future, regardless of what happens with Brexit.

Additional reporting Michael Staines