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DEAL OR NO DEAL?
Wait for Brexit deal goes on after Dominic Raab makes fruitless dash to Brussels for last-minute talks
HOPES that a Brexit deal had been done were dashed this evening - after Dominic Raab flew to Brussels for emergency talks.
Michel Barnier told EU ambassadors that talks with the Brexit boss didn't go well when the pair held surprise negotiations talks to thrash out a deal on the Northern Ireland border.
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Four diplomats confirmed a key meeting of EU leaders’ top advisors - known as Sherpas - due to take place on Monday had been cancelled due to a lack of progress.
Brexit Secretary Mr Raab dashed out to the Belgian capital for emergency talks with EU negotiator Mr Barnier yesterday afternoon amid hopes of a breakthrough.
But last night he said: “Despite intense efforts some key issues are still open including the backstop.”
And it is understood Mr Raab told the Frenchman that the UK has objections to the terms of the withdrawal treaty beyond just the border solution.
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An EU diplomat said: “They’re still trying to solve the most difficult issues. No agreement has been reached. No agreement, no Sherpas.
“There’s been no new progress. The issue of the Irish border is the main reason. Our hopes are now for the end of November.”
A second diplomat said there had been “some progress” but it only amounted to “small steps” in the right direction.
A joint statement by No 10 and the Department for Exiting the European Union said: “In the last few days UK and EU negotiators have made real progress in a number of key areas. However there remain a number of unresolved issues relating to the backstop.
“The UK is still committed to making progress at the October European Council.”
Representatives from the 27 other EU nations were told there wasn't yet a deal over the UK's exit from the bloc, and further meetings were needed to get a deal.
Mr Raab's last-minute trip was announced after it was reported last night in German press that a deal was set to be sealed today.
It came just three days before Theresa May is set to travel to Brussels to give her final pitch to other EU leaders over dinner, in the hopes of securing a deal.
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One source told the Press Association: "It’s very much in the EU’s interests to make it look like there is a deal," as it would look "like we are the ones being intransigent".
Mr Barnier said last month he needed to see "maximum progress" by this week's European Council meeting to make sure a hard border in Northern Ireland would be avoided.
And the EU's Donald Tusk branded this week "the moment of truth" for a Brexit deal.
But another summit has already been pencilled in for November if a deal can't be reached by then.
The Northern Irish border is a sticking point for both sides - Mrs May needs to keep her DUP allies happy by making sure there's no extra checks in the Irish sea, but also ensure that her Brexiteers are kept on side too, who want to ensure a clean break with the bloc.
However, it was reported yesterday that the DUP boss thinks No Deal is the most likely outcome - after she had "hostile" talks with Mr Barnier in Brussels last week.
The talks are stalled over what should happen with trade and Northern Ireland if no Brexit deal is reached.
CEO of Next, Lord Wolfson urges the government to prepare for a no-deal Brexit
Earlier today Health Secretary Matt Hancock raised the option that if a definitive end-date for the Brexit backstop isn't stated, then there could be another get-out clause that Britain could trigger which would mean we would not stay in a customs union with the EU indefinitely.
He told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "The proposal is that is it temporary and time-limited. There are different ways to make sure it is time-limited.
"You can set conditions under which the arrangements come to an end."
Previously Brexiteers had been unhappy that the Northern Ireland backstop would have no specified end-date.
But another form of break clause could be an alternative option that could keep Leave-backing members of the Cabinet onside.
Four ministers could be on the verge of quitting, it was revealed today.
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The news came as:
- Leaked documents showed that Britain has "already done" a secret deal with EU chiefs
- David Davis called for a cabinet uprising against Theresa May - saying it was "time for the cabinet to exert their authority"
- Boris Johnson trashed the PM's plans and said it would be as humiliating as the Suez crisis in the 80s
- Labour MPs including Caroline Flint said they could defy their party and vote for Mrs May's deal to avoid a No Deal situation
DUP's Arlene Foster threatens to block Brexit over Northern Ireland border
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