Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will meet today for “final talks” about the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The prime minister and president are expected to meet late lunchtime in Berkshire to discuss the Brexit treaty, Downing Street said as it released details of the meeting.
Cabinet ministers will be updated on the talks in the afternoon.
If a final deal is agreed Mr Sunak and Ms von der Leyen will hold a short joint news conference in the late afternoon.
The prime minister will then deliver a statement to MPs in the House of Commons.
Downing Street said Mr Sunak “wants to ensure any deal fixes the practical problems on the ground, ensures trade flows freely within the whole of the UK, safeguards Northern Ireland’s place in our Union and returns sovereignty to the people of Northern Ireland.”
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“Over the past few months, there have been intensive negotiations with the EU – run by British ministers – and positive, constructive progress has been made,” Downing Street said.
“There have been hundreds of hours of talks covering all issues at stake and talking from first principles – what works for Northern Ireland.”
In a joint statement released by Mr Sunak and Ms von der Leyen on Sunday, they “agreed to continue their work in person towards shared, practical solutions for the range of complex challenges around the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland”.
It comes after Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab told Sky News that Britain is “on the cusp of a deal” to resolve the long-running dispute.
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Cancelled meeting with the King
Ms von der Leyen had been due to travel to the UK on Saturday to hold talks with Mr Sunak and meet the King at Windsor Castle, but the plans were scrapped.
Mr Sunak has said his government was “giving it everything” to strike a deal over the Protocol.
“There’s unfinished business on Brexit and I want to get the job done,” the prime minister told The Sunday Times, adding that he would work all weekend to nail down revised terms.
