Michel Barnier has warned that negotiations to break the Brexit deadlock have made "no progress" leaving Theresa May with just 11 days to try to save her deal.

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator told European ambassadors that negotiations have stalled over Britain's continued demands for a time limit or exit mechanism for the Irish backstop.

It also emerged that the Prime Minister told Donald Tusk, the President of the European Commission, that Britain may need a time-limited extension even if MPs vote in favour of her deal.

The Prime Minister has committed to holding a vote on her deal by March 12 after dispatching Geoffrey Cox, her Attorney General, to Brussels to seek legally-binding changes.

Ministers were encouraged after Eurosceptics appeared to soften their position by suggesting they could be satisfied with an "annex" to the EU withdrawal agreement, rather than changing the text itself.