Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab flew to Brussels on Sunday for unscheduled talks with EU negotiator Michel Barnier - but "key issues" remain despite speculation a deal had been reached.

News of the talks fuelled reports that a divorce agreement may be close ahead of Wednesday's crunch summit of European leaders.

Politico went as far as citing unnamed diplomats as saying a deal was done.

But speaking afterwards, Mr Barnier said: "Despite intense efforts, some key issues are still open."

These issues, including avoiding a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, are now unlikely to be resolved ahead of the summit, with an EU official telling Sky News that "no further negotiations are planned ahead of the European Council... the EU negotiator will brief the leaders who will then assess the progress so far".


A Number 10 spokesman said: "In the last few days UK and EU negotiators have made real progress in a number of key areas. However there remain a number of unresolved issues relating to the backstop.

"The UK is still committed to making progress at the October European Council."

Ambassadors to the other 27 EU member states were summoned to separate meeting on Sunday that did not include Britain.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, meanwhile, is hosting European counterparts at his country residence in Kent - tweeting a picture of them all in a maze and saying the talks were "straightforward" in comparison.

Challenged a few of my fellow foreign ministers to navigate the Chevening maze in the rain...by comparison to which Brexit discussions seem more straightforward pic.twitter.com/J43lTDKUvb — Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) October 14, 2018

On the prospect of a Brexit deal, he told reporters: "I think what we're reading is that we've made a lot of progress. There are still some big issues to settle. We are putting everything into trying to resolve these issues."

It comes after David Davis issued a dramatic call to cabinet ministers to stage a mutiny against the prime minister to kill her Brexit plan.

The prime minister will be travelling to Brussels on Wednesday for a summit where both sides hope to sign off on a draft withdrawal agreement setting out the terms for Britain's divorce from the EU.

This is despite DUP leader Arlene Foster reportedly being "ready" to trigger a "no-deal" Brexit.

She regards this as the "likeliest outcome" following a "hostile and difficult" exchange with Mr Barnier last week.

The issue of the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland is one of the last remaining obstacles to achieving a divorce deal.

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Mr Davis has said Mrs May's plan to keep the UK in a customs union is "completely unacceptable" and "flawed".

reland's deputy PM and foreign minister Simon Coveney directly contradicts the UK government's stance on the Irish border issue.

Writing in The Sunday Times, the former Brexit secretary wrote: "This is one of the most fundamental decisions that government has taken in modern times.

"It is time for the cabinet to exert their collective authority. This week the authority of our constitution is on the line."

It has been reported that four more letters demanding a vote of no confidence in the PM were submitted last week after three during the Tory conference, making a total of 44, just four short of the number needed to trigger a vote.