Theresa May's cabinet has set a summer deadline for the UK finally to leave the EU, prompting speculation the prime minister could be ready to name her departure date.
The decision suggests Ms May is ready to confirm she will quit within two months when she meets Tory backbench leaders on Thursday, after she promised to quit when the first phase of Brexit is complete. She will bring forward her withdrawal agreement bill in early June to ensure Brexit happens this summer, Downing Street said.
It came after the EU told Britain that it was on a "Brexit break" but officials will meet Olly Robbins, Ms May's top Brexit negotiator tomorrow.
Elsewhere, a group of senior Tories urged Ms May to to stand firm against Labour's demands for a customs union in the cross-party talks or risk losing the support of her party's "loyal middle".
But the warning drew fury from shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who voiced fears that any agreement with Ms May would be "overturned within weeks".
Late on Tuesday Ms May met Jeremy Corbyn and both agreed that cross-party talks should continue.
However, making clear their precarious nature, the Labour leader told the prime minister he had "doubts over the credibility of government commitments, following statements by Conservative MPs and cabinet ministers seeking to replace the prime minister".
See how we covered the day's events live, below
Cross-party talks on a compromise Brexit deal are hanging in the balance, with Theresa May expected to come under pressure at Tuesday's Cabinet to pull the plug.
No substantive progress is understood to have been made in talks on Monday evening, as Jeremy Corbyn told Labour MPs the Government was not shifting on its red lines.
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Some 13 ex-ministers have written to the prime minister urging her not to concede to Labour over a customs union.
"We believe that a customs union-based deal with Labour will very likely lose the support of Conservative MPs, like us, who backed the Withdrawal Agreement in March ... and you would be unlikely to gain as many Labour MPs to compensate," they wrote, according to The Times.
"More fundamentally, you would have lost the loyal middle of the Conservative Party, split our party and with likely nothing to show for it.
"No leader can bind his or her successor so the deal would likely be at best temporary, at worst illusory."
Sir Michael Fallon, the former defence secretary, was one of the signatories of the letter to Theresa May.
He told Today: "They are clearly not getting anywhere.
"If they are going to include permanent membership of a customs union then, frankly, we would be better off staying in the European Union because at least then we would have a voice in the trade arrangements that are being negotiated.
"We can't say we are leaving the EU and then half stay in it. We are not going to get the benefits of leaving and we will be denied the benefits of remaining because we won't have a voice."
A top prosecutor has accused Sajid Javid of a “shocking” lack of action after he promised to investigate claims that grooming gangs are mainly men of Pakistani heritage.
The home secretary ordered the review of the “characteristics” of the gangs behind child sexual exploitation last July – saying the abuse had “disgraced our heritage”.
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Nigel Farage has done a phone-in on LBC, where he claimed his party was snatching support from Tory funders, as "life-long Conservative donors just don't see the point of the Conservative party".
He says there is huge anger from Remain voters, who are fed up with the Brexit chaos.
The Brexit Party leader said: "There will be Remain voters who vote for the Brexit Party. We have been got a candidate standing for us who voted Remain."
Jeremy Hunt has called for a huge increase in defence spending and the UK’s “hard power”, in a speech likely to win favour with Tory members in the looming leadership contest.
Delivering the annual Mansion House address, the foreign secretary praised the military might of “our great ally” the United States, under Donald Trump – and said Britain must do the same.
Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran has ruled herself out of running to succeed Vince Cable when he stands down as party leader.
The Oxford and Abingdon MP was regarded as serious contender for the job, most likely running against deputy leader Jo Swinson.
However she said it was "completely and utter wrong" that she made the decision after it emerged she was once arrested for assaulting her boyfriend.
Ms Moran told The Independent: "I am very grateful to the large number of constituents, supporters, party members and elected representatives who have encouraged me to throw my hat into the ring in the forthcoming Liberal Democrat Leadership contest.
"As a relatively new MP, however, my first priority has to be to serve my constituents to the best of my ability.
"I hope they consider that I am doing a good job so far, but I do not believe that I would be able to continue to do so to the standard they have the right to expect if I took on the busy role of party leader as well.
"For this reason, I wrote to local party members earlier this week to let them know that I would not be standing for the Leadership this time."
The government has been told to ditch its controversial voter ID policy after new analysis found that it had stopped 800 people voting in local elections earlier this month.
819 people were turned away from polling stations because they did not have formal identification and did not return, according to a study by the Local Government Chronicle (LGC).
The policy of asking voters to show ID is being trialled in ten areas of the country, despite opposition from charities, campaigners and opposition parties.
European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said: "We continue on our Brexit break.
"We will come out of the Brexit break if there is something happening in London.
"We will listen to Olly Robbins tomorrow."
An MP has urged ITV to cancel The Jeremy Kyle Show after a man who appeared on the programme died shortly after filming an episode.
The controversial talk show has been pulled from the air indefinitely by the broadcaster following the death.
Conservative MP Charles Walker has since said that ITV would be “best advised” to stop the show, telling The Daily Mail: ”It’s a very, very unattractive TV show and I’m surprised it’s gone on so long.”
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He had been suspended by the Liberal Democrats following comments he made to an inquiry regarding child abuse allegations against former MP Sir Cyril Smith.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said that the party executive had "determined, after careful consideration, that there are no grounds for action against David Steel".
Lord Steel said: "I am naturally pleased and relieved the executive of the Scottish Liberal Democrats has completed their investigation and, after fully considering my responses to questions at IICSA, has lifted my suspension from the party and cleared my name. "
Change UK’s Chuka Umunna has branded Nigel Farage “chicken” for refusing to take up a challenge to a TV debate from the party’s leader Heidi Allen, writes Indy political editor Andy Woodcock.
Remain-backing Ms Allen threw down the gauntlet in a party election broadcast, saying a live on-air showdown would allow the pair to “share with the British people our vision for the future and let them decide which they prefer”.
But the Brexit Party leader responded with a No, asking: “Who is she?”
Mr Umunna said: “I think he is chicken. He likes to talk to people who agree with him but doesn’t want to have a debate with people who disagree. It’s clearly rubbish Farage saying he doesn’t know who Heidi is. This is the sneering, bullying nature of the Brexit Party which when you look behind the razzmatazz is a nasty force.”
