Theresa May remains 'confident' of getting a Brexit deal

Picture: Anthony Devlin/Getty Images.

Downing Street has insisted that the Prime Minister remains 'confident' of getting a Brexit deal, despite the failure to bridge differences over the future of the Irish border ahead of this week's crunch summit.

Theresa May is set to address MPs in the House of Commons on the state of Brexit negotiations on Monday afternoon after talks over the weekend failed to produce the hoped-for breakthrough on the so-called “backstop” arrangements for Ireland.

The impasse means that meetings between “sherpas” in Brussels have been cancelled, and UK Government ministers will have no withdrawal plan to approve at Cabinet on Tuesday, before Mrs May travels to the European Council summit the following day.

European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said: “Despite intensive negotiations several key issues remain unresolved. I can say that no further negotiations are planned ahead of the European Council.”

The PM’s official spokesman said that “real progress” had been made on a number of issues and the Government was determined to press on with talks.

But he said that the EU continued to insist on the possibility of a carve-out for Northern Ireland which could see a customs border down the Irish Sea - something Mrs May has already said would be unacceptable to any British Prime Minister.

Britain is offering a temporary backstop arrangement under which the whole UK would remain in the EU customs area unless an open border in Ireland was secured by a broader trade agreement.

Discussions were said to have broken down after EU negotiators demanded a “backstop to the backstop”, under which Northern Ireland would stay in the customs union after the time-limited UK-wide arrangement came to an end.

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson said talks were “entering the moment of crisis” and urged Mrs May to reject the EU’s offer and scrap the backstop.