Prime Minister Theresa May has asked Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to "sit down" for talks designed to agree a Brexit deal which they can both support.

Mrs May said she wanted to agree "a single unified approach" which they could both put jointly to the House of Commons.

She called for "national unity to deliver the national interest".

Mrs May also said she would ask the EU for a further "short" extension of Brexit, which is currently due to take place on April 12.

If the two leaders could not agree on a Brexit plan then a series of different options would be put to the House of Commons.

Labour is calling for the UK to remain in a Customs Union with the EU after Brexit, something Theresa May and many Conservative MPs oppose. But Mrs May's dramatic statement, in a televised announcement, suggests that she may be willing to compromise, as that's likely to be the only way Labour will agree to a deal.

The Prime Minister spoke with just over a week to go until the UK is due to leave the EU on April 12.

Brexit has been delayed once already, but it's unclear whether the EU will agree to delay it again.

And as things stand, we're due to leave the EU with no deal - even though employers and many MPs say this would be a disaster.

It emerged today that Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill, the UK's top civil servant, has warned a no-deal Brexit would plunge the UK into recession, push up food prices by 10p for every £1, and damage the UK's ability to defend itself.

Theresa May and her Cabinet spent the whole day in talks

Mrs May and her senior ministers gathered at 10 Downing Street this morning for an extended crisis session of Cabinet.

The Prime Minister made her statement following more than seven hours of talks.

The Cabinet meeting began with a "political" session in the absence of civil servants, which one Government source said was aimed at finding "which option could the party stomach and which option could the country stomach".

Chancellor Philip Hammond is understood to be urging colleagues to accept a compromise which prevents either a no-deal scenario or no Brexit at all.

That could include either a customs union or a second referendum - the two most popular options in the indicative votes process.

MPs join forces to try to stop a no-deal Brexit

Backbench MPs from different parties have joined forces to try to impose a law stopping the Government from going ahead with a no-deal Brexit.

Meriden MP Dame Caroline Spelman, a former Environment Secretary, is part of a group planning to introduce legislation requiring the Prime Minister to extend the negotiation process beyond April 12.

They hope to rush the bill through the Commons on Thursday. Conservative grandee Sir Oliver Letwin and Labour's Yvette Cooper are also involved.

At the moment, the UK is due to leave the EU with no deal on April 12.

Employers including carmakers have warned this would be disastrous for their businesses, and a majority of MPs oppose the idea of a no-deal Brexit.

However, MPs considered a range of other options on Monday, and rejected all of them. The House of Commons has also repeatedly rejected Theresa May's deal.

EU losing patience with the UK

Even if the UK asks for Brexit to be extended, there is no guarantee the EU will agree. Brussels has indicated it would accept a long delay but only if the UK is able to explain how it will use the time, such as holding a second referendum or a general election.

And EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said a no-deal departure was becoming "day after day more likely".

French President Emmanuel Macron warned that an extension to the Article 50 negotiation process cannot be taken for granted, and that the UK would have to present a "credible alternative plan backed by a majority" at next week's summit in order to secure it.

Speaking alongside Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar before talks in Paris, Mr Macron said: "Should the United Kingdom be unable - three years after the referendum - to propose a solution backed by a majority, they will de facto have chosen for themselves to leave without a deal. We cannot avoid failure for them."

The EU could not become "the hostage to the solution to a political crisis in the UK", said the French president.

Top civil servant says no-deal would be a disaster

But a leaked letter from cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill, obtained by the Daily Mail, showed that the UK's top civil servant has warned of 10% food price hikes, economic recession and disruption to security if Britain crashes out without a deal.

He said a no-deal Brexit would mean:

- A UK-only recession, meaning that the expected fall in the value of the pound will be "more harmful" than during the 2008 global crisis;

- A 10% spike in food prices;

- The collapse of some businesses that trade with the EU, with pressure on Government to bail companies out;

- Disruption to national security and reduced law and order capabilities;

- Reintroduction of direct rule in Northern Ireland for the first time since 2007.

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