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PM meets her cabinet as the European Council prepares to discuss Brexit

The European Council members convene in Luxembourg where they will be briefed by chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier.

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - JUNE 28: British Prime Minister Theresa May arrives at the Council of the European Union on the first day of the European Council leaders' summit on June 28, 2018 in Brussels, Belgium. The European Council is meeting for two days to discuss issues related to Brexit and immigration. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)
Image: Mrs May will brief European leaders on Wednesday
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Vital meetings are being held on both sides of the Channel today which could help decide if a Brexit deal can be reached in the next few weeks.

Here Theresa May will have a chance to assess the loyalty of her cabinet as they meet to discuss yesterday's bruising Commons session.

Meanwhile in Luxembourg the European Council will be briefed by the EU Commission's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier on the state of talks with the UK.

Mrs May will give the other 27 Council member states an update on negotiations on Wednesday.

In a letter to EU leaders, European Council President Donald Tusk said: "The European Council will start on Wednesday evening with a debate on Brexit.

"I have invited Prime Minister May to address the EU27, giving the UK Government's assessment of the negotiations.

"Later at 27, we will decide on how to take the negotiations forward, on the basis of a recommendation by our chief negotiator, Michel Barnier.

More on Brexit

"As you remember from Salzburg, we wished for maximum progress and results that would lead to a deal in October.

"As things stand today, it has proven to be more complicated than some may have expected."

Donald Tusk
Image: Donald Tusk says things are 'more complicated' than expected

Yesterday Theresa May came under fire from Leavers and Remainers as in Parliament she refused several times to say when a so-called Irish backstop arrangement would end in the event of no formal Brexit trade deal being reached.

The backstop plan is a safety net which sets out proposals for customs arrangements with the EU if a permanent deal is not secured by March 2019, when the UK leaves the bloc.

Theresa May isolated and besieged on all sides
Theresa May isolated and besieged on all sides

Sky's political editor Faisal Islam looks back on a bruising day for the Prime Minister

The prime minister told the Commons she would expect it to expire in December 2021 but added she does not want to see the backstop having to be used at all.

Many Conservative MPs - reportedly including some cabinet ministers - are concerned a "temporary" backstop would become permanent.

They want any agreement to include a firm date for it to lapse.

The Democratic Unionist Party, which is propping up Mrs May's government in Westminster, said the EU's backstop suggestion whereby Northern Ireland would continue to follow the bloc's rules if no trade deal is struck would create barriers with Great Britain.

The PM has put forward an alternative backstop, featuring a temporary arrangement keeping the whole of the UK in a customs union, which she expects to be lifted by the end of 2021.

The biggest obstacle to a withdrawal agreement is the issue of the Irish border, with the UK and EU sides divided on the best way of avoiding the need for checkpoints and a hard border.

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The Ireland backstop serves as a safety net in the event of a no-deal Brexit, protecting an open border on the island of Ireland.

Regulatory and customs checks at hundreds of crossing points between Northern Ireland and the Republic would cause massive disruption to individuals and businesses.

There are fears that checkpoints and cameras could become the target of sectarian violence.

The DUP has made clear it will not back anything which means Northern Ireland being treated differently from the rest of the UK.