Brexit: Theresa May to meet Corbyn as cabinet sets summer deadline for leaving EU

Move could trigger prime minister standing down within the next two months

Theresa May's Cabinet has set a summer deadline for the UK finally to leave the European Union.

After an extended meeting lasting over two hours, ministers agreed it was "imperative" to pass the legislation ratifying Brexit before Parliament rises for its summer break.

The decision suggests Ms May is ready to confirm her departure within two months when she meets Tory grandees on the executive of the 1922 Committee on Thursday, in line with her earlier promise to quit when the first phase of Brexit is complete.

Ministers did not pull the plug on negotiations with Labour, which have dragged into their seventh week with little sign of a compromise deal being reached.

It also emerged the prime minister will meet with Jeremy Corbyn on Wednesday evening to discuss the cross-party talks - their first face-to-face meeting since last month.

The move indicates that Ms May has given up her hope of completing Brexit in time to prevent MEPs elected on May 23 from taking up their seats in the European Parliament in July.

Labour's shadow chancellor John McDonnell warned that it would be a "cataclysmic act of bad faith" if Labour agreed a deal for it to then be overturned within weeks by a new Tory leader.

Parliament's summer recess usually begins in late July, but no date has yet been fixed. Ms May's official spokesman could not confirm whether it might be delayed to later in the summer if needed to get Brexit done.

Ministers were briefed on the compromises which the Government is prepared to consider in cross-party talks in order to get its Withdrawal Agreement Bill through, said the spokesman.

He said: "Cabinet agreed to continue discussions with Labour to see what was possible.

"However, it was agreed that it was imperative to bring forward the Withdrawal Agreement Bill in time for it to receive Royal Assent by the summer parliamentary recess."

Asked if getting the deal through would also make that Mrs May's exit date, the spokesman said: "What she wants to do is get a deal through by the summer recess.

"She has at the same time said she would step aside once she has completed phase one. But the conversation at Cabinet wasn't about that."

The state of talks was also discussed by Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet. Following the meeting, shadow chancellor John McDonnell said that Labour had not seen "the significant shift yet that we require to be able to support a deal". Ms May's spokesman said the talks had been "difficult".

Mr McDonnell said that "deep in my heart I'm still a Remainer" and said he believed Mr Corbyn was too.

"We don't think there is a deal there yet," he told a conference in London.

"Deep in my heart I'm still a Remainer," said John McDonnell (PA)

"Our big problem now is, if we are going to march our troops in Parliament to the top of the hill to vote for a deal and then that's overturned within weeks, I think that would be a cataclysmic act of bad faith."

Mr McDonnell said Labour had told the Government into talks that "to get something through Parliament you may well have to concede that there is a public vote of some sort".

The EU has told Britain that it is on a "Brexit break" and will only listen to Theresa May's top Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins when he visits Brussels on Wednesday.

A spokesperson said the bloc would only turn its attention to Brexit again "if there is something happening in London". Downing Street characterised the visit as "part of the regular engagement" with the European institutions.

It comes as Ms May was urged by a group of Conservative former ministers to pull the plug on talks with Labour or risk losing the support of her party's "loyal middle".