EU chief has 'no grounds for optimism' ahead of crunch meeting with Theresa May
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Donald Tusk has said there are "no grounds for optimism" in relation to a Brexit deal ahead of a key summit of EU leaders.
The European Council president was speaking as Theresa May prepares to travel to Brussels on Wednesday to convince the EU to back her Brexit plan.
Mr Tusk said the prime minister must put forward "concrete proposals on how to break the impasse", which centres on a disagreement over a customs backstop to preserve an open border Northern Ireland.
Earlier in the day, Ms May attempted to convince her Cabinet to back her Brexit plan, which could see the UK remain in the customs union indefinitely if no other method is found for avoiding a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
The prime minister told ministers they must "stand together" but Downing Street said no decision was made on her controversial plan during a three-hour meeting.
Elsewhere, John Bercow reportedly told friends he would step down as House of Commons Speaker next summer. It came as he faced criticism from MPs over allegations of bullying, which he has denied, following the publication of a report into harassment in Parliament.
Follow our live coverage as it happened...
Welcome to today’s live coverage from Westminster on a crucial day for Theresa May’a hopes of securing a Brexit deal with Brussels.
Today’s Cabinet meeting is due to get underway around 10am. Theresa May needs to convince Brexiteer ministers including Liam Fox, Andrea Leadsom and Penny Mordaunt to back her plan for a customs back stop that is temporary but, crucially, not time-limited.
Cabinet Eurosceptics met in Leadsom’s Commons office last night to discuss their strategy over pizza - but will May be able to see off any potential rebellion?
Today's Cabinet showdown takes place hours after Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, warned that a no-deal Brexit is now "more likely than ever before" as the EU and UK struggle to agree on the terms of the Northern Ireland customs backstop.
Today is also likely to see John Bercow, the Commons speaker, face further pressure to resign over allegations of bullying. It comes after an independent report published yesterday found widespread abuse of staff in Parliament.
The report, by former High Court judge Dame Laura Cox, found there was a culture of "deference, subservience, acquiescence and silence" in Parliament and said it was "difficult to envisage" how solutions could be delivered under the current senior administration. Mr Bercow has faced multiple allegations of bullying, which he has strongly denied.
Conservative MP Maria Miller, who chairs the Commons equalities committee, has tabled an urgent question on the matter and called on Bercow to step down. We wait to see whether the question will be granted, with the decision entirely up to Bercow himself.
As Theresa May prepares to face down Tory Eurosceptics, there's bad news for one leading Brexiteer. A new poll shows Boris Johnson's favourability rating has fallen to an all-time low and is now significantly lower than that of May, who he is widely thought to be planning to replace.
The acting head of the civil service has taken the highly unusual step of speaking out about attacks on Theresa May's top Brexit adviser, Olly Robbins.
In a letter to The Times, Sir Mark Sedwill said people 'sniping' about Robbins, a senior civil servant, "should be ashamed of themselves".
No 10 has confirmed the letter was signed off by the prime minister.
A source said: "It's part of the role of the cabinet secretary to maintain public trust in the integrity and impartiality of the civil service."
ITV door-stepped Brexiteer ministers ahead of today's Cabinet meeting.
Penny Mordaunt, the international development secretary, insisted "no one is planning on resigning - we're all doing our jobs and we're trying to get the best deal for this country".
Andrea Leadsom, leader of the Commons, said "the prime minister is doing a very, very complicated job and I'm fully supporting her in getting that done".
Here's today's Commons schedule - potentially with an urgent question on abuse of staff in Parliament, which, if granted, will take place at 12.30pm.
NEW: The urgent question on the Cox Report into abuse of staff in Parliament has been granted. We can expect to see MPs stand up and demand John Bercow step down over allegations about his own treatment of staff.
However, Labour appears to be supporting the Speaker. Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, said:
"I think this is absolutely not the time to be changing Speaker. We don't know, for example, with regard to Brexit as to what is going to happen, whether there is going to technically an amendable motion or not, whether it will be the Speaker's discretion as to whether it is.
"We do need to have all hands on deck at the moment."
Here's more, from my colleague Ash Cowburn, on calls for John Bercow to resign following a damning report on abuse of staff in Parliament.
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