The British Prime Minister Theresa May could be planning a general election in June, according to reports, as she has said she will "battle for Britain" during attempted Brexit talks with Brussels.

Downing Street advisers are understood to have drawn up plans to extend Article 50 - the clause which triggered the UK's withdrawal - then secure the backing of the British parliament for a new Brexit deal in April, before calling a general election in June this year.

Sources quoted in the UK's Mail on Sunday and the Sunday Times said the plan would protect Mrs May from being forced out of office by those who want a new leader to negotiate the second stage of the UK's exit.

The vote could be held on June 6th.

It came as Mrs May wrote in Britain's Sunday Telegraph, vowing to "battle for Britain" and secure a new Brexit deal.

But she also reiterated her support for no hard Irish border.

She said: "When I return to Brussels I will be battling for Britain and Northern Ireland, I will be armed with a fresh mandate, new ideas and a renewed determination to agree a pragmatic solution that delivers the Brexit the British people voted for, while ensuring there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland."

Mrs May added that while UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn did not back her plan in a crunch Commons vote, he does support her bid to win new protections to ensure the backstop deal is not permanent.

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She wrote: "The clock is ticking, and negotiating the changes MPs want to see will not be easy. But if we stand together and speak with one voice, I believe we can find the right way forward."

She said she is determined to deliver Brexit "on time" for March 29th.

"So let's put aside our differences and focus on getting the deal over the line", she added.

It comes as EU leaders, including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, have repeatedly ruled out any renegotiation of the Brexit deal.

Mr Varadkar will travel to Brussels next week for several Brexit-related meetings, including discussing no-deal plans.

He will meet with the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk.

Mr Varadkar will also outline the work underway in Ireland and the supports that may be needed, given the potential impact of a hard Brexit here.