Continuing his statement, Mr Sassoli said the European Parliament was "open" to the idea of Brexit being extended.

"There are two alternatives to a deal at this juncture: extension or no deal," he said.

"On an extension, the [European] Parliament is open to this possibility, should there be a good reason or purpose for this."

He also said a no-deal exit would be "very negative" for the UK, Ireland and the rest of Europe - and that he hoped it could be avoided.

However, it will be down to the EU27 to approve any Brexit extension, if one is requested by the UK.

Image source, Reuters

European Parliament President David-Maria Sassoli has said talks with Prime Minister Boris Johnson this evening led to "no progress" in Brexit negotiations.

In a statement, he said he was "grateful" to Mr Johnson for agreeing to meet but that the European Parliament "will not agree to a deal at any price".

Mr Sassoli also said his parliament "could have supported" the withdrawal agreement drawn up by then Prime Minister Theresa May - which was defeated in UK Parliament three times.

"We will not agree to a deal that undermines the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process or compromise the integrity of our single market," Mr Sassoli added.

House of Commons
Parliament

The Commons sitting has been suspended ahead of the ceremony to prorogue Parliament, but the Lords is still holding a debate on the rural economy.

MPs are waiting for the business to finish before receiving a message from the Lords commissioners to begin proceedings.

Image source, PA Media

The prorogation of Parliament has been approved by Order of the Privy Council, which was held by the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

Here is the wording of the order in full.

At the Court at Buckingham Palace THE 8th DAY OF OCTOBER 2019 PRESENT, THE QUEEN’S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY IN COUNCIL

It is this day ordered by Her Majesty in Council that the Parliament be prorogued from Tuesday the 8th day of October to Monday the 14th day of October 2019, to be then holden for the despatch of divers urgent and important affairs, and that the Right Honourable the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain do cause a Commission to be prepared and issued in the usual manner for proroguing the Parliament accordingly.

An EU official has said the bloc is "available" to continue Brexit talks with the UK despite a No 10 source saying a Brexit deal was "essentially impossible".

The official, from the European Commission, told the BBC's Adam Fleming that talks with the UK have finished for today.

They said the European Parliament and European Council will be debriefed tomorrow.

"We are available to continue talks this week," the official added.

Image source, AFP

We are expecting Parliament to be suspended some time after 19:00 BST, when business in the Commons and Lords is done for the day.

Approval from the Queen for the government's request to prorogue - or suspend - Parliament is gained at a meeting of the Privy Council, which normally meets around once a month.

During prorogation, the House of Commons and the House of Lords does not sit. That means MPs and peers do not hold debates or vote on laws.

There will be a prorogation ceremony this evening and then Parliament will be closed until 14 October - when MPs will return to hear the government set out its plans in what's called a Queen's Speech.

Read our explainer here.

Image source, Getty Images

The prime minister has welcomed European Parliament President David-Maria Sassoli to Downing Street.

Mr Johnson met the EU politician - an Italian former journalist - on the steps of No 10.

They gave members of the press a wave before heading inside for talks.

Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar, the Irish Taoiseach, spoke on the phone this evening.

A spokesman said: “Both sides strongly reiterated their desire to reach a Brexit deal.

“They hope to meet in person later this week.”

Chris Mason
Political Correspondent

Hands up if all this stuff about "spokesman" and "sources" is driving you bonkers...

Here's the in-brief explanation of how it works at Westminster.

The prime minister has an official spokesman. They work for the government, not the political party that is in government. They give two briefings a day to reporters when Parliament is sitting and they are on the record. That is to say we report what is said and we report who said it - although by convention we don't actually name the spokesman.

There are two reasons for this: they are speaking on behalf of the PM, not themselves. And sometimes a deputy does the briefing instead.

In addition to the official spokesman, there are other people in Downing Street who will talk to journalists. For some, that is their specific job. For others, it is not.

These people will always talk to us off the record - so we can quote them, but not name them, or do anything that risks identifying them.

Journalists always prefer on the record quotes, but in politics as in life, people are often more candid in private, and so we can get a greater sense of what is going on in return for respecting the terms on which the information has been given to us.

House of Commons
Parliament

Back in the Commons, MPs have passed a motion agreeing to sit until the message announcing the official prorogation of Parliament is delivered in the chamber later.

So far, there's no sign of the angry scenes which accompanied last month's suspension, which was due to last five weeks but was later ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court.

Last time, when the prorogation ceremony itself was underway, opposition MPs protested with signs saying "silenced", whilst others shouted: "Shame on you."

Tory MP Andrew Percy intervenes to make a complaint about the scenes last time round, saying Conservatives were subjected to "bullying and hectoring behaviour".

Mr Gove also said Mr Johnson "spends a fair amount of time every day talking to EU leaders", and he would be talking "frankly and openly" to them.

"The one thing that I do know is that the response from those leaders has been so far an openness to exploring the deal we've put forward, and I hope that openness will become more constructive in the days ahead."

Asked about a tweet from the European Council President Donald Tusk, accusing of playing a "stupid blame game", Mr Gove said he could "express himself in his own way".

But he said it was "vitally important that all of us work together" on a way forward.

He added: "From time to time, of course, there will be bumps in the road in the path to a deal.

"But I am confident the fair and reasonable offer that we have put forward will illicit from our EU friends progress in the days ahead."

Michael Gove is continuing to back the UK's Brexit proposals, despite a No 10 source saying a deal is "essentially impossible" after a call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The source claimed Ms Merkel made clear a deal based on UK plans was "overwhelmingly unlikely".

But some have accused Downing Street of playing a "blame game" to put the fault of a no-deal scenario squarely at the EU's door.

Mr Gove - who is in charge of planning for a no-deal Brexit - said the government was still "hopeful" they would be able to secure a deal.

He said: "I wasn't in on that call, but it is the case we are talking, not just to the German chancellor, but to other friends in Europe and we are hopeful that we will be able to secure a deal."

Pressed whether Mr Johnson had told him what happened on the call, Mr Gove said: "We put forward a fair and reasonable offer to the EU. We hope that the EU will show appropriate flexibility.

"I think that this fair and reasonable proposal will get support from other countries."

The government is proroguing Parliament - again - ahead of a Queen's Speech. Read more.

Approval from the Queen for the government's request to prorogue - or suspend - Parliament is gained at a meeting of the Privy Council, which normally meets around once a month.

One slightly unusual feature of meetings of this body is that they are held with all the participants - including the monarch - standing up.

According to the body's official website, external, it is thought that this custom was initiated by Queen Victoria in an effort to reduce her public duties after her husband Prince Albert died.

Image source, PA Media

MPs passed a new law to avoid a no-deal exit. But how might the prime minister get around it? Read more.

House of Commons
Parliament

There is now a general debate in the Commons on Baby Loss Awareness Week.

The annual event is described as an opportunity to mark the lives of babies lost during pregnancy, or at or soon after birth.

House of Lords
Parliament

A Tory peer has warned of "sinister undertones" to environmental protests taking place outside of Parliament.

Home Office Minister Baroness Williams of Trafford told the Lords the Extinction Rebellion action - echoing other protests around the world - had left central London gridlocked" and, as a result, was causing extra pollution.

Answering an urgent question, Lady Williams said the effect on businesses was "quite disgraceful".

She was challenged by other peers, including the Green Party's Baroness Jones, who called protesters "brave planet protectors".

Lady Williams said the right to protest peacefully was a long established tradition, but it did not extend to what she called unlawful behaviour.