Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay is holding key talks with the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier today as the chance of a breakthrough on securing a withdrawal deal appeared to rise.
The Brussels meeting comes in the wake of discussions between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar after which both leaders declared they could "see a pathway" to a possible agreement.
Mr Barclay's talks look likely to give the clearest indication of whether there has been a significant thawing of relations between London and the EU after a week of abrupt exchanges.
Such a move could lead to the start of so-called intensive "tunnel" negotiations in the coming days ahead of a crunch EU summit on October 17 and 18.
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