Rishi Sunak to secure new Brexit deal this weekend

Rishi Sunak is hoping to secure a Brexit deal this weekend after Downing Street claimed he had gained last-minute concessions from Brussels.

No 10 said the Government had achieved a string of “positive breakthroughs” during intensive discussions over the past week to address problems faced by businesses as a result of the post-Brexit rules governing Northern Ireland.

The Prime Minister spoke to Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, on Friday night, with further talks planned to seal the deal.

The Telegraph understands arrangements are in place for the UK and EU to agree on the deal as early as Sunday, with a legal text presented to Parliament on Monday.

Mrs von der Leyen is expected to travel to Britain for a “handshake moment” with Mr Sunak once the agreement is struck.

Britain and the EU have been in a stand-off for two years over renegotiating the Northern Ireland Protocol, which prevents a hard border with Ireland by moving checks to the Irish Sea.

One well-placed source said the outline of a deal had “been there for quite some time” and that recent negotiations between the sides were just “fine-tuning”.

Recent discussions have focussed heavily on the “packaging and presentation” of the agreement before presenting it to the DUP and ERG, the source added.

Although Downing Street did not give details on Friday night, possible concessions include a provision for Westminster to set VAT rates and state aid policy in Northern Ireland.

Under the Northern Ireland Protocol, these are set by Brussels, even though the province is part of the United Kingdom.

Other potential concessions include far fewer checks on British goods transported to Northern Ireland, and perhaps a greater role for the UK in checking whether goods from Britain destined for the Republic of Ireland meet EU rules.

Under the new agreement, it is understood that the DUP is set to be guaranteed a seat at the negotiating table when new EU laws that could apply in Northern Ireland are being drawn up.

Mr Sunak is understood to have been first presented with the draft of the pact in mid-January, but then he told his negotiators to keep pushing for more.

An EU diplomat said that it was looking “very likely” that the deal would be publicly announced by the end of Monday at the latest.

Cabinet ministers have also been put on notice for a potential video call with No 10 in anticipation that the agreement will be finalised over the weekend.