Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in a race against the clock to secure a fresh agreement for the meeting of European leaders starting in Brussels on Thursday. The Telegraph’s Brussels correspondent, James Crisp, has claimed there is “a feeling” that a Brexit deal could be achieved by midnight this evening. Speaking on his LBC radio show, Nigel Farage asked: “So is it possible that they can amend this treaty and agree the legal text tonight?”

Mr Crisp replied: “Yes, I think when Michel Barnier talked about a legal text, what he means is something which is agreed by both the UK and the EU negotiators.

“He’s not talking about an entirely legally scrubbed, legally watertight, agreement. He’s talking basically about a headline Brexit deal.

“The one thing I’d say here is that the vibe here in Brussels at the moment is more optimistic than I’ve seen it really at any point in the Brexit negotiations.

“There’s a feeling that a deal could be done before midnight tonight, which is a deadline which was set by Europe ministers in Luxembourg this morning.”

He added: “Tomorrow Michel Barnier will brief the EU27’s ambassadors fully in the morning, and really that briefing will tell us, has a headline deal been agreed for the EU leaders to rubber-stamp on Thursday.

“But look, even if there is a deal agreed, there’s still going to be technical issues to resolve, and this is difficult.

“I mean, Brexit has been difficult, no one can deny that, and they might want to get the lawyers in.”

Speaking on Tuesday morning as he arrived at the General Affairs Council, EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said work to secure a deal has been “intense”, adding: “Because even if an agreement will be difficult, more and more difficult to be frank, it is still possible this week.”

He said: “Reaching an agreement is still possible. Obviously any agreement must work for everyone, the whole of the United Kingdom and the whole of the European Union. Let me add also that it is high time to turn good intentions into a legal text.”

The Brussels negotiator pledged to plough on his talks after it emerged that David Frost, Britain’s chief negotiator, tabled new technical customs papers today – which cover precise details on a new market surveillance regime.

But Mr Barnier urged EU ministers to proceed with caution until a legally operative text is provided by UK officials, according to European sources.

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He told the politicians that these proposals would have to be agreed in a “legal text” by this evening if they are to be presented to at the European Council.

But Mr Barnier hinted that a partial text could be shown to leaders, in order to win their approval, and then concluded during a final round of talks ahead of the UK’s October 31 exit date.

He told EU ministers that this was possible after Britain moved towards the bloc’s original proposals for a Northern Ireland-only backstop.

Meanwhile, after meeting the European Council’s president-elect Charles Michel, Finland’s Antti Rinne said there was “no time” for the UK Prime Minister to achieve an agreement.

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick rejected the remarks, stressing a “great deal” of progress had been made and negotiators are working “very intensively”.

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