crunch time
Brexit deal on the brink of collapse as officials forced to work through the night in desperate bid to get an agreement in time
Theresa May will visit Brussels for last-minute talks on Saturday ahead of an EU summit being held on Sunday
THERESA May's officials have launched round-the-clock talks with Brussels in a last-ditch bid to finish the Brexit deal.
British and European aides are locked in non-stop negotiations to sign off on the withdrawal agreement in time for a crunch summit on Sunday.
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The PM has announced she will hold last-minute talks with top Eurocrats on Saturday after failing to achieve a breakthrough in Brussels last night.
If the deal isn't ready by then, the EU summit this weekend could have to be cancelled - pushing Britain closer to the No Deal cliff-edge.
A No10 source insisted last night that Mrs May was "close to a breakthrough" after meeting Jean-Claude Juncker yesterday.
As the clock ticks on any Brexit deal:
- EU leaders remain torn on whether to squeeze more concessions out of Britain
- The PM holds talks with current EU president Sebastian Kurz
- Gordon Brown demands an X Factor-style public vote if the Government remains deadlocked
- Ministers urge Mrs May to prepare a Plan B in case her Brexit deal is rejected by the Commons
- Jacob Rees-Mogg rules himself out of a leadership bid and backs Boris Johnson instead
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The Prime Minister was hoping to seal the withdrawal agreement during her meeting with European Commission boss Mr Juncker last night.
But instead, she announced a plan to return to Brussels on Saturday for further talks taking place just hours before the EU summit.
Spanish leaders want to reopen the 585-page withdrawal agreement to give them a say on the future of Gibraltar.
But Angela Merkel has warned that if the EU can't agree on the deal as it currently stands, Sunday's summit will have to be cancelled.
And Ireland's foreign minister Simon Coveney said: “The withdrawal treaty text is agreed, it’s closed.
“If you reopen for one issue, well then there is an avalanche of other asks, I am sure, that different countries will have.”
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Last night Mrs May spoke to Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez in a bid to convince him to drop his demands over Gibraltar.
Talks over the next few days will focus on the "future framework" - an additional document which outlines the starting point for trade negotiations between Britain and the EU.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock today insisted a deal will be sealed by this weekend, telling the BBC: "We all know that EU negotiations always come down to the last minute.
"My understanding is that good progress was made last night. Clearly we have got to get as good a deal as we possibly can at this stage."
But other ministers want Mrs May to make preparations for an alternative deal to be launched when her proposal is shot down by the Commons.
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One told the BBC Downing Street was acting like "a couple stuck in a bad marriage", adding: "They are the only people who can't see that it isn't working and they should just admit it and split up."
Ex-PM Gordon Brown slammed the "deadlock" created by Brexit divisions - but warned that a second referendum or General Election wouldn't be a magic bullet to solve the problem.
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He wants randomly selected Brits to join panels across the country which will discuss the best way forward.
Mr Brown : "The process I favour is not too dissimilar from what they do in X Factor. When the powers-that-be are deadlocked, they call on the general public to decide.
"I believe by exploring together the causes and consequences of Brexit, we can learn more about what’s possible and see whether, above the bitter divisions, any consensus can emerge."
Theresa May leaves Brussels after latest Brexit talks with Jean-Claude Juncker
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