Brexit talks between Raab and Barnier fail to secure breakthrough
Talks between Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier have failed to resolve key issues including the Irish border question.
The unscheduled talks in Brussels came amid speculation officials working on the negotiations had reached a deal.
But following the meeting Mr Barnier said that "despite intense efforts" there had been a failure to reach agreement on one of the trickiest aspects of the negotiations.
The surprise announcement of the meeting fuelled rumours a deal was set to be done ahead of a summit of EU leaders on Wednesday.
We met today @DominicRaab and UK negotiating team. Despite intense efforts, some key issues are still open, including the backstop for IE/NI to avoid a hard border. I will debrief the EU27 and @Europarl_EN on the #Brexit negotiations.
— Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) October 14, 2018
But after talks which lasted a little over an hour, it was clear that obstacles remained.
Mr Barnier said "some key issues are still open", including the so-called backstop measure to prevent a hard border.
He said he would debrief the 27 remaining EU states and the European Parliament on the state of the negotiations.