Brexit talks resumed in Brussels "constructively" on Monday night over a dinner between UK Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay and the chief European Union negotiator Michel Barnier.
A British spokesman said the meeting was a follow-up to last week’s talks between British prime minister Theresa May and European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker to discuss “whether a way through can be found that would be acceptable to the UK parliament and the EU”.
They agreed to meet again in the coming days and said officials would carry on technical work.
Mr Barnier is understood to have repeated the commission’s insistence that the withdrawal agreement is not up for renegotiation but to have said that there is room to seek changes to the accompanying political declaration on the future relationship between the UK and EU.
Mr Barclay will go to Strasbourg on Tuesday to meet leaders of the European Parliament groups.
At the dinner in the UK embassy to the EU were Mr Barclay, the UK chief negotiator Olly Robbins and the British Permanent Representative to the EU, Tim Barrow.
Mr Barnier was accompanied by his two deputies in the EU Brexit Task Force, Sabine Weyand and Stephane Riso.
The dinner menu consisted of pan fired North Sea sole with Scottish scallops and Welsh samphire, roast duck breast with peppercorn sauce and Pembrokeshire potato dauphin, pear parfait with vanilla and hazelnut ice cream, and a British cheeseboard.
