Brexit: Prospects of deal now 'promising', culture secretary Nicky Morgan says

Cabinet minister says 'mood music seems positive' after talks between Boris Johnson and Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar

The prospects of a Brexit deal being agreed this month are "promising" following an breakthrough in talks, Nicky Morgan has said.

The culture secretary said the "mood music seems positive" after a meeting between Boris Johnson and his Irish counterpart, Leo Varadkar, as hopes rise that an agreement could be reached in time for the 31 October Brexit deadline.

The meeting between the two leaders on Thursday opened the door to talks between EU and UK officials intensifying through the weekend as the two teams attempt to strike a deal before a crunch European Council summit at the end of the week.

The progress comes after Mr Johnson reportedly made concessions on the question of how customs checks will be managed in Northern Ireland after Brexit.

That prompted Mr Varadkar to announce that he could now see a "pathway" to a deal.

And Ms Morgan told BBC Radio 4's Today: "After the meetings between the Irish prime minister and our prime minister on Thursday, there's no doubt that things do look promising.

"We obviously have to see how negotiations go, and it's incumbent on all of us to stand back and give those negotiations and discussions the best chance of succeeding, because obviously the better way to leave the EU in an orderly way is to have a deal."

The culture secretary said the "mood music seems positive" but admitted that "clearly there are lots of details to be worked out and strong views on all sides".

She also dismissed a Downing Street memo that suggested the Tories would fight any early election on a platform of delivering a no-deal Brexit, saying the speculation was "wide of the mark". She added: "The prime minister has always been clear that a deal is infinitely preferable and that is what we want to see."

It comes amid reports that Mr Johnson will try to use parliament's first's Saturday sitting in almost 40 years next to weekend to force MPs to choose between any deal he secures and a further delay to Brexit.

The government is expected to table a single motion giving parliament the option of backing a deal or else enacting the so-called Benn Act, which forces Mr Johnson to ask the EU to delay Brexit again if no agreement is in place by next Saturday.

However, MPs who want a fresh referendum are expected to try to amend the motion to add a condition saying that any deal approved by parliament must be put to a Final Say vote.