WEEKEND BREXIT TALKS TO TAKE PLACE
British and EU officials will continue Brexit talks over the weekend amid rising speculation a deal is on the cards.
It could break the deadlock over the Irish border.
The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier gave the green light on Friday for intensive discussions between officials to start.
It followed an apparent breakthrough in talks on Thursday between Boris Johnson and his Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar at a country house retreat on the Wirral.
Their discussions appeared to unblock the negotiations which had seemed to have been running into the ground following the publication of Boris Johnson's Brexit blueprint.
The Prime Minister cautioned it was not a "done deal" and there was still "a way to go" if they were to get an agreement which would enable Britain to leave on October 31, as he has promised.
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson will challenge MPs to back any deal he has secured from Brussels when parliament sits on a weekend next Saturday for the first time in almost four decades, The Times has reported.
He is preparing to hold a vote on his deal on the "Super Saturday" parliament sitting as he seeks MPs to either endorse his approach or force through a Brexit delay, the paper says.
Mr Barnier is due to brief EU ambassadors and MEPs on Monday on progress - but time is rapidly running out if they are to get an agreement in place in time for EU leaders to sign off on it at next week's Brussels summit.
With UK officials remaining tight-lipped, there has been intense speculation over what was said at the talks at Thornton Manor which enabled the process to move forward.
The discussions focused heavily on the issues of the customs arrangements and the proposed "consent" mechanism for the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Published: by Radio NewsHub