Theresa May emerges from Cabinet meeting insisting she will not agree a Brexit deal ‘at any cost’

Theresa May has emerged from a tense Cabinet meeting this morning insisting she will not agree to a Brexit deal "at any cost", despite the clock ticking on reaching a Withdrawal Agreement.

The Prime Minister's spokesperson said ministers needed more time to consider possible mechanisms that will prevent the UK from being tied to the European Union through a backstop arrangement to prevent a hard border in Northern Ireland.

May's spokesperson told reporters that while 95 per cent of the Withdrawal Agreement had been concluded, there were a number of issues relating to the Northern Ireland backstop "that we still need to work through and these are the most difficult".

The Prime Minister discussed options with ministers that would ensure that the arrangement would be temporary after a number of Brexiters raised concerns that the backstop, used to avoid customs checks at the Northern Irish border, could tie it to the EU customs union in a betrayal of the Brexit vote.

"This includes ensuring that if the backstop is ever needed it is not permanent, and there is a mechanism to ensure the UK could not be held in the arrangement indefinitely," he said.

"While the UK should aim to conclude the Withdrawal Agreement as soon as possible, this would not be done at any cost."

May's spokesperson said it was likely that a further cabinet meeting would be held before a deal was agreed, hinting that this could happen later in the week.​

The Cabinet was reported to have discussed ways to break the deadlock that has dogged negotiations for several weeks. The focus of the meeting was the way in which the UK could leave the EU customs union. Many ministers have backed a mechanism that would allow the Britain to leave unilaterally, on its own accord, or by mutual agreement, in which it would have to have sealed the approval of the EU.

The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier told Belgian broadcaster RTBF this morning that the two sides were not close to reaching a deal, while Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told May on Monday that he was ready to consider a review mechanism that would keep the border with Northern Ireland open after Brexit, but that he would not accept any arrangement that would allow the UK to withdraw from the customs union without the approval of Brussels.