It's not the official policy of the government yet, and the publication of more of the potentially gory details of leaving the EU without a deal is likely today.
But in government and EU circles it is more likely by the hour that there will not be an agreement at next week's EU council.
Despite the prime minister's assertion that his proposals are a "fair and reasonable compromise" - and signals to No 10 that some influential member states were willing to contemplate the concepts of the deal over the summer - in the words of one official, so far the EU had not shown a desire to "budge one centimetre". In a call with the German leader Angela Merkel this morning, a No 10 source said "she made clear a deal is overwhelmingly unlikely", and even said the EU could veto whether Northern Ireland leaves the customs union, adding: "Talks in Brussels are close to breaking down, despite the fact the UK has moved a long way."
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