Britain and the European Union have agreed to instruct their senior officials to meet on a daily basis in a last-ditch effort to complete a deal for Britain's departure from the EU before Oct 31, when the current deadline for such negotiations expires.

The move boosts hopes that a messy separation between the EU and Britain may yet be avoided. However, some European leaders are increasingly willing to vent in public their frustration at what they regard as a persistent British inability to conclude a reasonable exit deal.