The prime minister said that a “rough shape of a deal to be done” was emerging before his first meeting with Jean-Claude Juncker, the outgoing president of the European Commission, on Monday. He will also meet Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator.

The Times revealed yesterday that the DUP was shifting some of its red lines to unlock a deal with the EU. Critically, the Northern Irish party has privately indicated that it could accept regulatory checks in the Irish Sea and divergence from Britain with the consent of the province’s democratic institutions.