Brexit deal "almost at hand" says May Vice President

An agreement on Brexit is "almost at hand" and could be concluded within 48 hours, said David Lidington, British Deputy Prime Minister.

Prior to a cabinet meeting at Downing Street, Mr. Lidington said he was "optimistic because we managed to reduce the number of difficult issues outstanding."

"We're not there yet," he told BBC's Today. When asked if an agreement was possible in the next 24 to 48 hours, he replied, "Still possible, but not at all defined."

Lidington, a member of the European Commission, said Olly Robbins, Britain's chief negotiator, and Michel Barnier's team talks with the EU continued Monday night and had made progress.

Theresa May convened her cabinet on Tuesday to discuss what she called the "final phase" of Brexit.

Ms May still hopes that the EU will convene a special meeting of the European Council on 25 November to sign an agreement, which will leave her little time to agree on an exit text.

British officials have admitted that unless decisive progress is made by Wednesday, the timing of the EU summit on Brexit may be over by December.

Ms. May wants the approval of Parliament for any agreement before Christmas.

Dominic Raab, secretary of the Brexit, told his colleagues that the government would start implementing emergency plans to obtain a "no agreement" result, if no progress has been made.

The biggest obstacle is the exit mechanism allowing Britain to leave a "temporary" customs arrangement – a safety net to avoid the reintroduction of a hard border in Ireland.

Eurosceptic ministers, who met Monday in Secretary of Commerce Liam Fox's office to coordinate their tactics, insisted that Britain should have the right to withdraw from the deal.

The EU insists on setting up a joint review mechanism to end the "temporary" agreement, which would last until an agreement is reached. permanent trade between the United Kingdom and the European Union puts in place a friction-free border in Ireland.

Eurosceptic ministers will resist any role of the European Court of Justice in this mechanism.

A number of pro-Brexit ministers privately warned that the outcome of a non-agreement would be preferable to any deal that could theoretically leave Britain "trapped" in a customs union.

Given the proximity of an agreement between the two parties, it is likely that MM. Raab and Barnier will participate in the final phase of negotiations to give political impetus to the talks.