Michel Barnier has struck an upbeat tone this morning, as he told journalists there was "every chance" of agreeing a Brexit deal in the remaining time, as he emphasised there were just two outstanding issues left to resolve.

The European Union's chief negotiator, who is due to update ambassadors and MEPs after Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen yesterday agreed that talks should continue, said: "We've only been negotiating for nine months, we've needed at least five years for all the previous agreements, we are going to give every chance to this agreement... which is still possible.

"A good, balanced agreement. That means two conditions which aren't met yet. Free and fair competition... and an agreement which guarantees reciprocal access to markets and waters. And it's on these points that we haven't found the right balance with the British. So we keep working."

Alok Sharma, the Business Secretary, echoed his sentiment.

He told Sky News: "We don't want to walk away from these talks. Businesses expect us to go the extra mile - that is precisely what we are doing."

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