It comes as no surprise at all that EU-UK talks have gone down to the wire.

That was widely predicted. As was the "both making last-minute political compromises" part, believed to come right at the end, after the two sides abandon their high-stakes game of chicken.

But tonight's dinner is far more complex than the prime minister declaring "OK, Ursula, we'll give you your level playing field, if you (EU) give us our fish."

The clash of ideologies, clear from the start, is still very much present.

We have the government's determination to protect its post-Brexit sovereignty, and not sign up to another Brussels rule book on the one side and on the other, the EU focus on protecting its single market a) from what it views as potentially unfair competition from the UK and b) in terms of global reputation.

Brussels believes compromising single market rules for a UK deal, would weaken it in the eyes of other future trade partners.

Conclusion: As much as Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen, say they still hope for a deal, 'no deal' is still very much on the table tonight, alongside dinner.

In separate talks on Tuesday, the UK and EU reached an agreement on specific trade arrangements for Northern Ireland - including on post-Brexit border checks and trading rules for NI, and how the new Irish Sea border will work.

It means the UK has now dropped plans to override sections of its EU exit agreement signed last year, which would have potentially broken international law.

Details of the NI agreement have not yet been published, but Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove is making a statement in the Commons on Wednesday.

The agreement was an important moment for businesses, said BBC Northern Ireland political reporter Jayne McCormack. "But some firms and political parties may be less receptive when they see the finer details of what's been decided," she said.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Gove confirmed that EU officials would be present in Northern Ireland "to make sure the processes, that we are in control of, will be running appropriately".

Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith said there would be a need "for some explanation" from the government because MPs had been "assured by the government that there were would be no customs officials sitting around".

The UK and EU are at loggerheads over the so-called "level playing field" - a set of shared rules and standards to ensure businesses in one country do not have an unfair advantage over their competitors in others.

Brussels wants the UK to follow EU rules closely in areas such as workers' rights and environmental regulations, but the UK says the goal of Brexit is to break free from following common rules and reassert national sovereignty.

And the two sides disagree on how any future trading disputes should be resolved.

On fishing, the two sides continue to haggle over how much access European fishing boats should have to British waters, and how much they would be allowed to catch from next year.

BBC