Arlene Foster and a group of DUP MPs have been giving a press conference in Parliament.

The party leader says she hopes to meet Theresa May later and "get some clarity" about the draft Brexit agreement and what it means for Northern Ireland.

But she makes clear that she will not support anything that breaks up the UK or sees Northern Ireland being treated differently.

If Theresa May turns out to have accepted anything along those lines, she says the PM will have "gone against herself" and there will be "consequences" - without elaborating on what they will be.

The 1922 committee of Conservative backbenchers is due to gather at 17:00 GMT.

This could prove a bit awkward for Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who is supposed to be addressing them.

He's currently in the crunch cabinet meeting, which is not now expected to break up until 18:00 GMT at the earliest.

Presumably they will wait for him...

Image source, EPA

The leader of Northern Ireland's SDLP has criticised what he characterised as a "knee-jerk" reaction to the draft deal from the Democratic Unionists and Conservative Brexiteers.

Colum Eastwood said if the UK had to leave the EU, it was vital that access to the customs union and single market was maintained.

"We are glad to see that there may well be a deal between the European Union and the British government," he said.

"I think it's important that everybody reads this deal, takes the time to digest it.

"Our job today is to bank the back stop, our ultimate insurance policy. It's not the best thing that could be done, but it's an insurance policy nonetheless."

Theresa May's plan for Brexit will not suit Leavers or Remainers, and the deal on offer "is not the answer", said former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair during an interview on the BBC News Channel earlier this afternoon.

The BBC's Adam Fleming says there is growing speculation in Brussels that the UK's Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab might be appearing alongside his EU counterpart Michel Barnier later on.

Their joint appearance, which hinges on the approval of the UK cabinet, would be part of the choreography of the draft agreement.

It could happen quite quickly after the EU decides that sufficient progress has been made to arrange a summit of European leaders to approve to sign off the agreement.

That get-together is being earmarked for 25 November.

Theresa May will be making a statement after the end of Tuesday's cabinet meeting, the BBC understands.

We don't know yet where it will take place. Will the famous lectern be on show outside 10 Downing Street?

Labour MPs want her to come to Parliament first but that seems unlikely at this stage, with a prime ministerial Commons statement seemingly pencilled in for tomorrow.

The Scottish fishing industry has welcomed the intervention by Scotland's 13 Tory MPs in the Brexit debate we reported earlier.

In a letter to Theresa May, Scottish Secretary David Mundell and his 12 colleagues sought assurances the UK would leave the Commons Fisheries Policy at the end of 2020 and warned against access to UK waters and quotas by European operators being traded for concessions in other areas.

Bertie Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation warned "there can be no link between access to our waters for EU vessels and the trade of seafood products in the EU".

"It contravenes all international norms and practice and is simply unacceptable in principle," he said.

He added: "The prime minister has made a series of commitments to the industry and anything less than the fulfilment of those means the sea of opportunity will not be realised and makes 'no deal' a more attractive option."

BBC News Channel

Image source, PA

Tony Blair says the draft agreement on offer won't satisfy either Remainers like him or Leavers.

The former prime minister, a longstanding critic of Brexit, tells the BBC it is ironic that by leaving the EU's political structures but remaining in the economic structures, the UK will cede rather than regain control of its destiny.

He says the UK now faces a choice between the prime minister's "pointless" Brexit and a "painful" no-deal departure.

Although it is "counter-intuitive", he says the only answer to the current situation is to allow the public a final say in another referendum, thus giving political leaders a clear mandate.

If there was to be another Leave vote, it would "end the argument for a generation", he concedes.

But if the public voted to Remain, he said this would encourage the European Union to give the UK a new settlement.

Political gridlock means no deal remains a possibility, how are some businesses trying to prepare to face new challenges?

House of Commons
Parliament

Shadow leader of the House Valerie Vaz asks if the Commons could be suspended, so that it gave scope if Theresa May wanted to make a statement on the draft withdrawal agreement text this evening following the meetings she is having with cabinet ministers this afternoon.

Labour MP Angela Eagle also calls for the House to be suspended so that Theresa May can come and deliver a statement on the progression of Brexit before potentially holding a press conference later.

Deputy Speaker Dame Rosie Winterton says that "the House can only be suspended if notice of a statement being delivered later has been given, which it has not".

"As I understand it, we are expecting a statement tomorrow," she says.

The deputy speaker reminds MPs that the adjournment debate can go on until 7pm this evening, giving MPs the chance, if they so wish, to keep proceedings going until this time in the hope that Theresa May will return to the Commons to make a statement.

Image source, AFP

France has voiced cautious optimism over the draft agreement.

Benjamin Griveaux, a spokesman for the French government, says:

"We see it as an encouraging sign, considering what we've seen in these last weeks and months.

"But we obviously remain very cautious.

"We will take the time to examine the proposed text in detail and there will be an agreement once the heads of state and government (of the EU member states) have had the opportunity to examine the details."

Image source, Houses of Parliament

A bad Brexit deal could risk lives by stopping ambulances crossing the border in Northern Ireland, according to a Labour front bencher.

Shadow health minister Justin Madders said people living on the border fall foul of differences between UK and EU healthcare laws.

Speaking in the Commons, the MP said: "There are many examples where patients' lives have been saved because of free and open access for emergency services across the border.

"If we don't get the right agreement in place there is a real danger we could end up in a situation where an ambulance drives up to one side of the border and another meets it from the other side to transfer the patient."

But the BBC's Nick Eardley hears different things from his source...

Image source, PA

The cabinet is now an hour into its crunch talks inside 10 Downing Street.

Theresa May is hoping to persuade her ministers to back the government's draft Brexit deal.

During Prime Minister's Questions she insisted the agreement would deliver on the referendum result.

But a number of Conservative Brexiteers have called on ministers to resign over the proposals, which they say could leave Britain tied to EU rules indefinitely.

The former Foreign Secretary, Lord Hague, said the cabinet should remain united and back the deal.

But the former Conservative Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Heseltine, believes the deal won't pass muster - and another referendum will be required.