Prime Minister Theresa May will tell British lawmakers today there is a new sense of optimism around Brexit talks after striking an initial agreement last week with the European Union. In a statement to parliament following the preliminary deal reached on Friday with the EU over Britain's divorce bill, citizens' rights and the Irish border, May will say both sides compromised to defy the doubters.<br/><br/>Under the proposed agreement, Britain will pay a financial settlement of between 35-39 billion pounds for leaving the bloc in March 2019.It allows EU citizens living in Britain and its citizens living in the EU as well as their families to claim permanent residency status, alongside the right to work, study and access healthcare, pension and social security entitlements.<br/><br/>Meanwhile, Britain has vowed to find a way to avoid a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, with the possibility of full alignment with the EU single market and customs union rules that are crucial to a 1998 peace accord.