May strikes EU deal to keep UK in customs union

Bloomberg

Theresa May has secured concessions from Brussels that will let her keep all of Britain in a customs union with the European Union to avoid a hard border in Northern Ireland, the Sunday Times reported, without saying where it obtained the information.
The move could win over some opposition Labour lawmakers and increase the chances of getting a Brexit deal through Parliament, the Times said.
Under the banner headline “May’s Secret Brexit Deal,” the newspaper said she’s also on course to gain an agreement on a “future economic partnership” that will allow Britain to keep open the prospect of a similar free-trade accord to the one Canada has with the EU. That in turn could sway the euroskeptic wing of her Conservative Party.
A Downing Street spokesman said on Sunday the Times report was “speculation” and that negotiations with the EU are ongoing. The government has previously said the withdrawal agreement is 95 percent complete and that there’s also been progress in talks on the future relationship.
The newspaper also reported that May will discuss Brexit plan with Cabinet on Tuesday; ministers will be told failure to support it will make them responsible for a no-deal Brexit UK officials want enough progress this week to persuade EU to announce a special summit in November to sign off on the final details
Though there are just five months to go before the UK leaves the EU, neither side has publicly reported in any detail what’s going on in the talks since May updated Parliament on October 22.
But UK officials believe intensive negotiations will deliver the decisive step needed for an agreement within the next few weeks, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The key sticking point remains how to avoid customs checks taking place at the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, without putting up new barriers between Northern Ireland and the British mainland.