A tunnel under the sea between Northern Ireland and Great Britain could be approved as early next month, the Daily Telegraph has claimed.
A study by Sir Peter Hendy, the chairman of Network Rail, will reportedly reveal whether a link between Larne in Northern Ireland and Stranraer in Scotland is feasible.
If so, it could be the same length as the tunnel under the Channel between England and France, the Telegraph reports.
The paper says any such move would help unblock trade affected by Brexit by creating the first ever fixed link between all four nations of the UK.
The Telegraph has already come up with a nickname, dubbing it the 'Boris burrow'.
The paper says the tunnel, if built, may please those in Northern Ireland angry at European Union checks on ferry cargo coming here.
Sir Peter is due to publish his interim report on the proposal within weeks, the paper states - adding that he has already had his final meeting with Boris Johnson to discuss findings.
Those findings could, the Telegraph says, recommend that the Government commissions a formal feasibility study of the project.
The PM first proposed a link across the Irish Sea in 2018 - and spoke about it again late last year.
Scottish secretary Alister Jack is also reportedly enthusiastic.
In an interview with Chopper's Politics podcast, Mr Jack said he was in favour of a tunnel because "a bridge would be closed for probably 100 days a year with the weather in the Irish Sea".
He said: "My strong inclination would be that he thinks it should be a tunnel because he and I have had conversations about the weather patterns in the Irish Sea and Beaufort's Dyke, and there's a munitions deposit there.”
Mr Jack and Mr Johnson are believed to be “very enthusiastic” about a feasibility study into a fixed link between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Telegraph reports.
On Saturday night DUP MP Sammy Wilson, whose seat East Antrim would host the Northern Ireland end of the tunnel, told the Telegraph: “This kind of project would at least give people in Northern Ireland the belief that the Government was prepared to put in infrastructure and spend money to make sure that we are physically connected.
“The important thing is to make sure that we are economically and constitutionally connected – that is far more important than a physical connection. But nevertheless symbolically it would be very important to hear this message.”
