Britain and the EU are “almost within touching distance” of a Brexit deal, Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington has said.
Theresa May’s de facto deputy said that after negotiators in Brussels again worked late into the night, it was still possible there could be an agreement within the next 48 hours.
“Still possible but not at all definite I think pretty much sums it up,” he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
He added: “We are not quite there yet. This was always going to be an extremely difficult, extremely complex negotiation but we are almost within touching distance now.
“But, as the PM has said, it can’t be a deal at any price. It has got to be one that works in terms of feeling we can deliver on the referendum result and that is why there is a measure of caution.”
May is briefing senior ministers on the progress of the talks at the weekly meeting of the Cabinet in Downing Street on Tuesday.
In her annual address to the Lord Mayor’s Banquet on Monday, the prime minister confirmed the negotiations were approaching the “endgame”, but said there were still “significant” issues standing in the way of an agreement.
If there is no deal by the end of Wednesday, the prospects of a special Brexit summit in Brussels in November will recede sharply, further reducing May’s chances of getting a vote in Parliament before Christmas.
Half a dozen Brexiteer ministers, including Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and Environment Secretary Michael Gove, are due to tell May that leaving without a deal would be better than the proposals on the table from Brussels, the Daily Telegraph reported.
It said they met for drinks at International Trade Secretary Liam Fox’s office on Monday night to discuss their concerns.
It is not thought that any deal will be on the table at the Cabinet meeting in 10 Downing Street on Tuesday, which will instead hear an update on negotiations and discuss preparations for a possible no-deal withdrawal from the EU.