Boris Johnson news: Leo Varadkar says Brexit deal is ‘possible’ by end of October after crunch talks with PM

The luxury wedding venue chosen for Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar's Brexit talks was where Coleen Rooney held her circus-themed 21st birthday party.

Ms Rooney, who caused an online sensation this week after alleging Rebekah Vardy's Instagram account was the source of leaked stories about her in the media, hosted her party at Thornton Manor in 2007.

The venue is a Grade II listed building that was once the home of the soap magnate William Hesketh Lever in the village of Thornton Hough on the Wirral.

Back on March 31 2007, stilt walkers dressed as swans and jugglers in sailor suits greeted guests as they arrived to celebrate the 21st birthday of Rooney, then the fiancee of footballer Wayne Rooney who she went on to marry.

A giant marquee and mini funfair were erected in the garden of the 100-acre estate, and around 50 fans gathered outside hoping to catch a glimpse of celebrity guests.

Among those arriving in a fleet of black Audis were football stars Harry Kewell, Rio Ferdinand, John O'Shea, and Peter Crouch with his now wife Abbey Clancy.

There was likely to be less of a party atmosphere on Thursday afternoon as Mr Johnson and Mr Varadkar arrived for their eleventh-hour rendezvous.

A Conservative Party branch has apologised after it shared a social media post which said people with mental health problems should be “neutered”.

The tweet, which has subsequently been deleted, was supposed to support the government’s "Every Mind Matters" campaign. 

But typo by Islington Conservatives meant instead of writing “nurtured” they wrote “neutered”.

More here:

Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party has voted against a resolution in the European parliament to tackle Russian election interference.

Our Europe correspondent Jon Stone has more.

The influential analyst Mujtaba Rahman of the Eurasia Group says Brussels will grant an extension to Article 50 “no matter how much Boris messes about”.

Although EU leaders are more keen to get answer on why the UK will need / want the extension than debate the length of the delay at the moment, they are still likely to give one regardless.

Rahman thinks a long extension of June 2020 is more likely than a three-month delay.

Boris Johnson has given the green light for Labour to hold talks with top civil service officials in the clearest sign yet that an election is looming.

The main opposition party is traditionally given time before a polling date to speak with senior civil servants to discuss the policy changes planned if they win power.

Johnson has recently told Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to “name the date” for an election in a bid for him to secure a majority in the House of Commons.

The decision to allow shadow ministers access to the civil service – a right usually reserved solely for the government – indicates that the wheels are being oiled for a fresh trip to the polls.

A Labour spokesman said the party would use the talks with Whitehall mandarins to “prepare for a transformational” government.

The time offered for talks has varied from anywhere between two and 16 months, according to a briefing from the Institute of Government.

The institute said Gordon Brown authorised contact between David Cameron’s Tory Party and the Civil Service “a full 15 months in advance of the 2010 election”.

In 2017, the talks were initiated on the day Theresa May announced the snap election, giving the Labour Party just 51 days in which to put its ideas across.

Senior fellow at the institute Catherine Haddon said the top bosses of departments were advised to never give advice about policies during the meetings but instead use the discussions as an opportunity to gauge the scale of the reforms planned.

“Access talks with the civil service can be invaluable in helping a new government to prepare in advance of and during a general election campaign,” she said.

Still waiting to hear what happened during Boris Johnson’s meeting with Leo Varadkar at Thornton Manor on The Wirral. The absence of any planned media appearances suggests expectations of a breakthrough are very slim. 

According to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, it’s possible both leaders will “come out and say blandly, it’s difficult but let’s just keep trying”.

Leo Varadkar and Boris Johnson at Thornton Manor (PA) 

Protesters outside Thornton Manor in The Wirral (Reuters) 

Here it is. The joint statement from the offices of Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar.

“The Prime Minister and Taoiseach have had a detailed and constructive discussion. Both continue to believe that a deal is in everybody’s interest.

“They agreed that they could see a pathway to a possible deal. Their discussion concentrated on the challenges of customs and consent. They also discussed the potential to strengthen bilateral relations, including on Northern Ireland.

“They agreed to reflect further on their discussions and that officials would continue to engage intensively on them. Following their discussions the Taoiseach will consult with the Taskforce 50 and the Brexit Secretary

“Stephen Barclay will meet Michel Barnier tomorrow morning.”

So there you go.

More here on the joint statement just released from Number 10 and the Irish government

This is from the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, who points out the Irish prime minister is due to to speak to journalists before heading back to the Republic this afternoon.

Boris Johnson has given the green light for Jeremy Corbyn's top team to hold talks with the civil service in order to discuss Labour's policy changes if the party wins power at an election. 

The decision to allow shadow ministers access to the civil service - a right usually reserved solely for the government - again highlights the prime minister's willingness to hold an early general election.

Responding to Labour being granted access to the civil service, a party spokesman said: "Jeremy Corbyn and the shadow cabinet are looking forward to using these access talks to prepare for a transformational Labour government that will bring key utilities into public ownership, boost people's pay and tackle the climate emergency.

"The time offered for talks has varied from anywhere between two and 16 months, according to a briefing from the Institute of Government."

The institute said Gordon Brown authorised contact between David Cameron's Tory Party and the civil service "a full 15 months in advance of the 2010 election". In 2017, the talks were initiated on the day Theresa May announced the snap election, giving the Labour Party just 51 days in which to put its ideas across.