May lines up crunch summit with French President Emmanuel Macron as ministers mount charm offensive on DUP and Ireland
- Theresa May has been desperately scrambling to put together a deal with the EU
- PM is due to have what could be a make-or-break lunch with Emmanuel Macron
- Ministers are visiting Northern Ireland and Ireland in push to break the deadlock
Theresa May is set for a potentially crucial Brexit showdown with Emmanuel Macron next week as the clock ticks down on a deal.
The Prime Minister and the French president are due to have lunch in the town of Albert before they take part in Armistic commemorations.
Government sources in Paris have confirmed that Brexit will be on the agenda for the talks – with Mr Macron considered one of the main obstacles to striking a divorce agreement.
As diplomatic activity reaches fever pitch with time running out to call an EU summit that could rubber stamp a deal this month, UK ministers today travelled to Northern Ireland and the Republic.
Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has visited one of Northern Ireland’s largest ports, Warrenpoint.
Prime Minister Theresa May (right) and the French president (left) are due to have lunch in the town of Albert before they take part in Armistic commemorations
Dominic Raab arrived at Stormont today for talks with both the DUP and Sinn Fein
Sinn Fein’s Chris Hazzard accused Mr Raab of dodging real people during his visit to the Irish border today
He is due to hold talks with both the DUP and Sinn Fein at Stormont this afternoon.
Meanwhile, Cabinet Office minister David Lidington and Northern Ireland Secretary are in Dublin for discussions with the deputy PM Simon Coveney.
There have been conflicting signs about how close the two sides are to a breakthrough on the divorce terms and future trade relations.
The Pound surged yesterday amid claims a deal had been reached safeguarding financial services ties.
The blueprint was said to involve the UK and EU having ‘equivalent’ regulations – with an arbitration system for any disputes and a notice period for diverging.
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Mr Raab also sparked a wave of optimism earlier in the week by saying he ‘expects’ a divorce deal to be settled by November 21.
However, officials have been scrambling to play down the chances of a swift resolution, insisting there is still a major sticking point over the Irish border backstop.
Downing Street has warned that those speculating about a breakthrough needed to ‘take a deep breath’.
Mr Macron has been one of the most strident critics of Mrs May’s Chequers plan, and has warned he will not agree anything that risks undermining the single market.
Meanwhile, France has been working hard to lure business from the City of London.
Mrs May and Mr Macron will meet in the town of Albert, close to where British Tommy George Robertson – Mr Macron’s Bristol-born ancestor – was in the trenches.
They will also lay flowers at the Thiepval Memorial to thousands lost in the 1916 Battle of the Somme, but current day politics will not be forgotten.
‘There will be a working lunch during which the topic of Brexit will of course be on the agenda,’ said a French government source.
Cabinet Office minister David Lidington (left) and Northern Ireland Secretary (right) are in Dublin today for discussions with the deputy PM Simon Coveney
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