Mubasher: The European Union’s (EU) 27 national ambassadors would attempt on Thursday to conclude an outline declaration of future relations between the bloc and the UK before a scheduled summit on Sunday, 25 November .

The UK would be leaving the EU on 29 March, yet both sides should approve a divorce agreement and an accompanying outline of their future relations.

EU leaders hope to rubber-stamp the deal at Sunday’s summit, Thomson Reuters reported on Thursday.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May did not manage to resolve all the sticking points in negotiations with the EU in Brussels on Wednesday.

The UK’s disputed territory of Gibraltar is the biggest issue, with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez refusing to change his stance over the matter ahead of a local election in Andalusia.

In addition, German diplomats informed their EU colleagues in Brussels that Chancellor Angela Merkel would not come to Sunday’s summit for any more negotiations, which meant a text must be prepared beforehand.