By Daniel Martin And David Churchill For The Daily Mail
Published: 22:04 GMT, 20 February 2019 | Updated: 22:04 GMT, 20 February 2019
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Theresa May insisted she had made progress on the Brexit backstop last night amid signs that her deal could be put back before MPs next week.
The Prime Minister spoke after flying to Brussels for talks on the legal assurances she believes she needs to secure parliamentary approval for her withdrawal agreement.
Mrs May’s official spokesman said she wanted to bring the deal back before Parliament ‘as soon as possible’.
Senior diplomats said last night Brussels was likely to accept additions to the agreement but any changes would fall short of putting a time limit on the backstop or giving Britain a unilateral exit from it. Instead, it is likely to be a legal assurance that the backstop is temporary.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker welcomes British Prime Minister Theresa May as she arrives at the EU headquarters in Brussels to hold a meeting on Brexit talks
Theresa May (pictured in the House of Commons during Prime Minister's Questions) lost three MPs who quit Britain's governing Conservative Party on Wednesday in protest at its "disastrous" hard line on Brexit
Downing Street announced yesterday that Mrs May would fly to Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt on Sunday where EU leaders will discuss the way forward on the sidelines of a summit with Arab leaders.
Officials said it was unlikely a deal would be formally reached at the meeting because that would require a full council of all 27 EU countries.
But they hope enough progress on the backstop will be made to allow Mrs May to call a new meaningful vote in the Commons next week. She hopes a legal