Theresa May will face frustrated EU leaders tonight as she prepares to beg for yet another delay to Brexit . 

But the Prime Minister’s hopes for a short extension to June 30 at the latest were expected to be crushed.

EU Council president Donald Tusk revealed that leaders had little confidence that Mrs May could get her deal through MPs by then. 

And he warned that a short delay increased the risk of rolling extensions and new cliff-edge dates for crashing out without a deal.

It will leave the PM crawling back to Westminster tomorrow to tell a fractured Tory party they need to contest the EU elections.

Mrs May made a desperate dash to Berlin and Paris yesterday to lay the groundwork for the talks. 

German media reported that Chancellor Angela Merkel could support a long ‘flextension’ until 2020 with the UK able to leave earlier.

French President Emmanuel Macron has taken a tougher line with suggestions he wants tough conditions in return for a delay.

Irish premier Leo Varadkar said he was confident a deal on extending the Brexit deadline will be reached tonight.

But with just 24 hours before the crunch summit, cross-party Brexit talks between Labour and the Tories broke up with no resolution.

Both sides insisted they were taking the negotiations seriously but there were fears they remain too far apart to strike a compromise. 

There are also concerns about whether Mrs May can guarantee a future Tory PM, likely to be a Brexiteer, would abide by the agreement.

Others claimed the Government was simply trying to drag out negotiations to get past the Brussels summit. 

One source in the room said talks had just “circled around” the key issue of a customs union.

There were rumours that Downing Street was considering getting round the need for a big announcement by bringing forward the Withdrawal and Implementation Bill later this week and making any changes then. 

A Labour spokesman said: “We have yet to see the clear shift in the Government’s position that is needed to secure a compromise agreement.”

But a No 10 spokesman added: “We remain completely committed to delivering on Brexit, with both sides working hard to agreeing a way forward, appreciating the urgency in order to avoid European elections.”

But Mr Tusk appeared to rule out the likelihood of a short delay – meaning the UK would go to the polls on May 23.

He said: “Our experience so far, as well as the deep divisions within the House of Commons, give us little reason to believe that the ratification process can be completed by the end of June.”

“In reality granting such an extension would increase the risk of a rolling series of short extensions and emergency summits, creating new cliff-edge dates. This, in turn, would almost certainly overshadow the business of the EU27 in the months ahead.”

In a clear hint that the EU is hoping that the UK moves towards a softer Brexit that gets through Parliament, he added: “In the event of a continued stalemate, such a longer extension would allow the UK to rethink its Brexit strategy.”

Cabinet fury burst out into the open as talks with Labour continued and Brussels’ chief negotiator Michel Barnier suggested a customs union could be written into the agreement “within hours”. 

Trade secretary Liam Fox savaged the idea as the “worst of both worlds” that would leave Britain with “no say” in EU trade policy. 

In a leaked letter to Tory MPs, he said: “As the famous saying in Brussels goes, if you are not at the table, you are on the menu”.

Commons leader Andrea Leadsom said Mrs May should ask the EU to reopen the divorce deal – even though it has been ruled out by No 10.

The PM also faced a massive rebellion as 97 Tory MPs voted against a Government motion to delay Brexit. 

Another 80 MPs abstained, including 12 ministers with Dr Fox, Mrs Leadsom, Chris Grayling and Andrea Leadsom all on the list.

Meanwhile, Justice secretary David Gauke fuelled second referendum hopes after admitting it was likely to be put to MPs as part of a vote on a deal. A Government aide, Huw Merriman, defied the whips by calling for a fresh vote.

People’s Vote campaigners claimed that five or six ministers, including in the Cabinet, backed a second referendum.

The Mirror understands that Mr Corbyn met the DUP’s Nigel Dodds and Sammy Wilson yesterday as part of Labour’s talks with MPs from across Parliament to break the Brexit deadlock.

The hardline Northern Irish party’s principal concern is avoiding divergence with the rest of the UK, which Labour believes its plan provides for.

Sources also claimed that Mr Tusk’s team had called Labour aides last night to suggest that Mr Corbyn could ring EU leaders to help get an extension over the line.

“They said it looked tight and that Jeremy could help by phoning round,” one said.

Any delay to Brexit has to be agreed unanimously by EU leaders and several have publicly voiced their concerns.

A spokesman for the Labour leader denied that he had been in touch with EU leaders but was unable to confirm whether the request had been received.

THOSE BURNING BREXIT QUESTIONS YOU'VE BEEN DYING TO ASK:

Why is Theresa May going to Brussels?

The EU is holding an emergency Brexit summit so that the PM can ask for another delay to Brexit. She wants a short one, to avoid having to hold European elections next month. If they don’t grant any extension, the UK will leave out without a deal at 11pm this Friday.   

What will they tell her?

They’re likely to say yes to a delay, but not to a short one to June 30. Instead, they’re expected to offer 9 or 12 months, with conditions attached. Mrs May will have little choice but to accept. 

Will MPs be happy with it?

Most Tory Brexiteers will be furious as there will have to be EU elections three years after the UK voted to Leave. But some think it will give them more time to oust the PM and put their own Brexiteer leader in place. Most MPs will just be relieved to avoid the cliff-edge.  

Will Brexit ever happen?

Almost certainly, but anything is possible. If EU leaders don’t grant a delay, MPs could vote to cancel Brexit before we crash out. And the longer the delay, the more powerful the case for a second referendum. But Brexit looks unlikely to happen soon. 

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