The government says they are trying to secure a new Brexit deal which will set out terms for the UK leaving the EU on October 31, thus avoiding the chance of leaving without a deal.
However, there is a strong suspicion among many MPs that prime minister Boris Johnson is not trying very hard to get a deal and is just looking busy while the clock ticks down towards a no deal Brexit.
Johnson has argued that keeping the prospect of a no deal Brexit on the table is necessary to get a good deal from the EU but some Tories don't agree, having forced the prime minister to ask for an extension if he can't get a deal despite knowing they would be kicked out of the party.
Is the government really trying to get a deal, or is there nothing substantial going on?
The Claim
The question of whether the government is actually serious about getting a deal has been thrust into the spotlight after the resignation of Amber Rudd.
She quit as work and pensions secretary and voluntarily resigned the Tory whip over the weekend, saying she had agreed to serve in Johnson's cabinet in "good faith" but now believed the government wasn't really trying to get a deal despite all their insistences to the contrary.
Rudd said there was "very little evidence" that the government would get a new deal and was instead directing their energies towards a no deal Brexit, leading her to believe the real objective was to leave the EU without a deal.
Her resignation letter stated she asked for an update on the situation and was not reassured by the answer the prime minister's office provided.
She said between 80 and 90 per cent of the government's Brexit efforts were focused on preparing the UK for the ramifications of departing without a deal, leaving little effort to focus on actually getting a deal to avert a no deal Brexit.
MPs in parliament who are not part of Johnson's government are not convinced by his claims that the prime minister wants a deal, with leaked government documents saying negotiations with the EU are a "sham" .
Downing Street claims the leaks are untrue but many in parliament simply do not trust the government when they say they are committed to securing a deal.
The Counter Claim
However, chancellor of the exchequer Sajid Javid spoke to the BBC about Rudd's criticism and insisted that the government was "straining every sinew" to get a new deal.
He said he was "saddened" by Rudd's resignation but argued that her reasons for leaving the cabinet and the party were wide of the mark.
Javid insisted there was a Brexit proposal on the table but argued it wouldn't be very smart to discuss the details in public and thus the government wouldn't be saying what they were working on.
The government continues to state that the option of a no deal Brexit is being kept on the table to strengthen the UK's hand in negotiations with the EU, ensuring that Brussels knows the British are prepared to walk away from talks if necessary.
In a meeting with Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar today, Johnson said he wanted to "get a deal" and described a no deal Brexit as a "failure" for which he would carry a portion of the blame.
Somewhat worryingly for hopes that a deal might be secured, Varadkar played down hopes that a breakthrough was coming.
The Facts
The government is trying to make adjustments to the backstop or remove it altogether and replace it with alternative arrangements. A significant bloc of Conservative MPs have indicated they won't vote for a Brexit deal if the backstop is still part of the withdrawal agreement.
The Financial Times reports the "cautious optimism" from the EU that a deal could be agreed has evaporated.
There was hope at the G7 summit that a deal was possible but since then the UK has doubled down on demands to scrap the backstop without making a proper offer to replace it.
Without a workable alternative to the withdrawal agreement secured by Theresa May last November the negotiations have ground to a halt.
Discussions will continue but talks are in a "state of paralysis" according to Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator.
He said there was "no appetite" to let the clock run down and see the UK crash out without a deal, suggesting a request for an extension would be accepted, but said a failure to present new proposals continued to hold up chances of securing a new deal.
According to The Times , the government has downsized the Brexit negotiating team. David Frost, the Europe adviser to the prime minister, leads a team of just four members.
During the height of negotiations Theresa May's Brexit negotiating team contained more than 50 civil servants with extra support coming from other government departments.
