Boris Johnson news - live: Leo Varadkar says Brexit talks making progress but gap between two sides 'still quite wide' as deadline looms
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Leo Varadkar has announced that Brexit talks are "making progress" but that the gap between the UK and EU is "still quite wide".
Negotiators are racing to conclude an agreement in time for a key EU summit on Thursday, but the Finnish prime minister warned on Tuesday that there was no "practical or legal way" to strike a deal by then. That was rejected by No10, although Boris Johnson's spokesman refused to put a deadline on talks reaching a conclusion.
Earlier, the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, reportedly told EU27 ministers in Luxembourg that the latest UK proposals were “not yet good enough”. Barnier is said to have told ministers an agreement would have to be reached by the end of Tuesday.
It comes as Emmanuel Macron is said to have raised the possibility of a “technical extension” in a call with the PM. British negotiators, meanwhile, have put forward new proposals in bid to break the deadlock with the European Commission.
Some more details from Brussels are emerging as talks continue.
One EU official said an agreement was "close but not 100% certain", adding "there are still parts that need to be nailed down".
Others were more cautious: one official said it was "way too premature" to conclude that a deal was at hand.
The pound has surged to its highest level since May against the dollar and the euro, as hopes for a deal rose.
But even if Boris Johnson manages to agree a deal with the EU he faces the herculean task of having to pass it through a British parliament where he does not command a majority.
The Liberal Democrats have tabled an amendment to the Queen's Speech, calling for any Brexit deal to be put to voters in a referendum.
If the amendment backing a "people's vote" is selected by Commons speaker John Bercow, MPs could vote on it in the coming days.
"The Liberal Democrats are the strongest party of Remain and have been the leading voice in the people's vote campaign," said Jo Swinson, the party's leader.
"Boris Johnson is determined to have a general election, but the best way to resolve the Brexit chaos is to have a people's vote and give the British people the final say about their future.
"The best deal we have is as members of the European Union and we want to give the people the chance to choose to stop Brexit."
The Conservative Party's deputy chairman dismissed the amendment, saying MPs "can't pick and choose which votes they respect".
Paul Scully MP said: "Yesterday the Liberal Democrats wanted to ignore 17.4 million voters by revoking Brexit, today they want to do it by holding a second referendum.
"Whatever they wake up saying tomorrow, it's clear that what you'll get with them is more delay, gridlock and uncertainty.
"Politicians can't pick and choose which votes they respect."
An MP who was sacked by Boris Johnson for rebelling on Brexit has lost a vote of confidence among members of her local Conservative Party association.
Tory members in Eddisbury, Cheshire voted no confidence in Antoinette Sandbach on Tuesday.
The vote was symbolic but it opens the door to formal deselection.
Ms Sandbach complained of "entryism" and said she was granted only three minutes to set out her defence.
She said: "This is obviously deeply disappointing, but I won't allow an unrepresentative handful of people decide who gets to be the MP for tens of thousands of Eddisbury voters.
"All my constituents can rest assured that I will continue to represent them in Parliament, standing up for a sensible, pragmatic Brexit deal and confirming that it is what the people want through a 'final say' confirmatory referendum."
The MP is currently appealing the suspension of the Tory whip after she voted with opposition MPs to take control of the order paper last month.
"The Liberal Democrats have tabled an amendment to the Queen's Speech instructing the government to prepare for a referendum, which would offer a choice between a deal and cancelling Brexit," reports Lizzy Buchan, as details emerge about the party's efforts to secure a public vote.
"If the amendment is selected by John Bercow, the Commons speaker, MPs will vote on the plans at the beginning of next week."
Read more here:
Tory MP Antoinette Sandbach says she is "deeply disappointed" to have lost a vote of confidence among members of her local party association.
"Brexit has already cost the UK economy almost £70bn – the equivalent of £440m a week or £840 for every household in the country each year – according to a new report from the Centre for European Reform released on Friday," reports Andrew Woodcock, The Independent's political editor.
"And as Boris Johnson made new concessions to Brussels in the hope of securing a withdrawal agreement, a respected think tank warned that even if a deal is reached, the uncertainty and disruption of Brexit can be expected to drag on to the middle of the 2020s or beyond, with the danger of multiple no-deal cliff-edges along the way."
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Jeremy Corbyn has pledged to scrap prescription charges under a Labour government.
The opposition leader also pledged to set up a "publicly-owned generic drugs manufacturer".
Labour is prepared to use compulsory licensing when necessary, to secure medicines at a price that the NHS can afford.
The party also plans to make public research funding conditional on the resulting drugs being priced affordably for all.
"Healthcare is a human right. Nobody should be worried about being able to afford the medicines they need, and our NHS should not be priced out of providing the drugs people need because of pharmaceutical companies charging extortionate prices for medicines," Mr Corbyn said.
"The right to healthcare extends to the right to dignity and security in old age.
"Under the Tories, our social care sector is in a scandalous state, with one million people not getting the care they need.
"Labour will right this wrong and introduce personal care free at the point of use, extending state-funded care to hundreds of thousands more people."
He added: "The next Labour government will make a huge step towards ensuring that our health service is truly universal by scrapping prescription charges, and taking on the big pharmaceutical companies so our healthcare system puts public health ahead of private wealth.
"Labour will make sure that when the public pay for research the public benefit, and we will create a new publicly-owned generic drugs manufacturer to supply cheaper medicines to our NHS - saving money and lives."
There appears to be trouble ahead for Boris Johnson.
The Brexit hardliner and Conservative MP Owen Paterson has said the prime minister's emerging deal is "absurd" and "unacceptable", according to The Sun.
Mr Paterson said the deal was a rehash of Theresa May's failed customs partnership ideas.
"When would any other country ever give up part of its territory as part of trade talks? It would be particularly absurd for Northern Ireland," he said in an interview with the newspaper.
"It would shatter the Belfast Agreement's Principle of Consent and completely undermine Northern Ireland's status as an integral part of the UK. We must not go down this route."
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