Brexit deal - as it happened: Theresa May's late-night scramble to seal a deal as EU finally gives green light for future trade talks

Brexit: Theresa May agrees breakthrough Irish border deal with EU leaders

After late night phone-calls and a very early morning flight to Brussels, Theresa May and the EU announced a breakthrough deal which will allow Brexit negotiations to progress to the next stage.

Here is how the day unfolded.

In dramatic early-morning scenes, the Prime Minister flew to Brussels to stage a joint press conference with Jean-Claude Juncker, EU Commission president, following lengthy negotiations with her allies in the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

The leaders declared that "sufficient progress" had been made on the "divorce issues" to begin the negotiations on their future trading relationship. The decision must be approved by the other 27 EU leaders at a summit on Thursday.

Key details emerged throughout the day including the detail on Britain's divorce bill - which will be between £35bn and 39bn rather than the anticipated £50bn - and the fact that people living in Northern Ireland will be able to retain their EU citizenship.

Leading Brexiteers such as Boris Johnson and David Davis gave their backing to the Prime Minister but she still faces significant a challenge to convince members of her own party over the deal, as she had to make concessions on controversial issues such as the European Court of Justice.

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Key Points

6.06am: EU President's assistant hints deal agreed with 'white smoke' tweet

[8 December 2017 12:59 · Lizzy Buchan]

Brexit committee chair Hilary Benn has issued a statement on the EU-UK negotiators’ joint report.

He said: “I welcome the news that EU-UK talks will move to stage two. The priority now is clarity on both transitional arrangements and what kind of future partnership the Government will seek.”

[8 December 2017 13:04 · Lizzy Buchan]

Chief whip Julian Smith tweets a picture of Boris Johnson popping in to see the PM last night for an update on negotiations.

It's a very interesting image as the Foreign Secretary has been one of May's toughest Cabinet critics over Brexit. He has also repeatedly hit the headlines over his reported leadership ambitions.

May clearly had to square off the deal with Tory Brexiteers before flying out to Brussels, even if Smith couches it in different terms.

[8 December 2017 13:10 · Lizzy Buchan]

[8 December 2017 13:13 · Lizzy Buchan]

After her pre-dawn dash to Brussels, Theresa May is already powering on with a constituency visit.

[8 December 2017 13:31 · Lizzy Buchan]

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has demanded that Scotland should be offered the same special arrangements as Northern Ireland over Brexit.

In a stern statement, she said: “The next phase will be significantly tougher and it is essential all the UK’s Governments are now fully involved in the negotiations on the UK’s future relationship with the EU – something that has not happened to this point.

“We fully support the protection of the Good Friday Agreement in all its parts and the UK Government’s guarantee that there will be no hard border on the island of Ireland.

“We will be seeking clarity on how the UK Government intends to deliver full alignment with the rules of the Single Market and Customs Union.

“And there is no doubt that the provisions relating to Northern Ireland raise major new questions over proposed UK-wide frameworks that are the subject of on going talks between the UK and Scottish Governments

“And I am absolutely clear that any special arrangements for Northern Ireland must now be available to other nations of the UK – the Scottish Government will not accept any arrangements which risk putting Scotland at an economic disadvantage."

[8 December 2017 13:37 · Lizzy Buchan]

[8 December 2017 13:48 · Lizzy Buchan]

Interesting tweet earlier from Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, as May still needs the EU 27 leaders to approve the deal at a summit on Thursday.

[8 December 2017 15:36 · Kristin Hugo]

The Number 10 Flickr account (yes it appears such a thing exists) has shared this picture of Theresa May boarding a flight to Brussels at 4.30am

[8 December 2017 15:52 · Kristin Hugo]

With much of the past week devoted to arguments over the difference in meaning between such identical sounding things as "regulatory alignment" "and no regulatory divergence" a second front has now opened up in the semantic war.

What time, exactly, is night?

Earlier today, the new Chief Whip Julian Smith shared a picture of Boris Johnson popping in to Number 10 "last night" in the midst of the discussions.

But, what's this??? The time on the clock reads half past four. Even thirteen days shy of the winter solstice, is half past four really night?

At four thirty in the morning, we know that the PM was Brussels bound.

Thankfully, Mr Smith has now sought to clarify, describing the picture as "timeless"

[8 December 2017 16:24 · Kristin Hugo]

The Independent's Political Editor Joe Watts tells the story behind the Prime Minister's 4.30am dash to Brussels, after a long day and night of phone calls, chiefly to the Democratic Unionist Party, who, even £1.5bn the richer, still drive a hard bargain.