The government is continuing its charm offensive, with Theresa May due to visit Austria and the Czech Republic, a day after the EU's chief negotiator effectively killed off her Chequers plan.
The Prime Minister is to hold Brexit talks with the Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz – and the pair will visit a music festival – as part of ongoing efforts to win individual member states over to the UK's position.
May will also meet with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis today for the same reason.
The rainbow tour had been planned many weeks ago as part of measures to cut Michel Barnier out and go direct to European leaders in the hope of convincing them to break ranks with Brussels.
However she will have her work cut out, after Barnier publicly shredded her customs proposal yesterday.
During a press conference after his latest meeting with Brexit secretary Dominic Raab, Barnier said the EU cannot and "will not delegate the application of its customs policy and rules, VAT and excise duty collection to a non-member".
This had been at the heart of May's facilitated customs arrangement, whereby the UK and the EU would collect tariffs on behalf of the other.
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