Rishi Sunak has said “we are by no means done” over his Brexit deal which aims to break the deadlock engulfing the Northern Ireland protocol.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference the Prime Minister appeared exasperated as he told those gathered: "There isn’t a deal that has been done. There is an understanding of what needs to be done. We are by no means done."

It comes after Mr Sunak was warned that his Brexit deal “falls short”, as he rushed to get an agreement over the line to present to Parliament on Tuesday.

Mr Sunak added: “When it comes to the issue of the Northern Ireland protocol there are real issues that need resolving. It’s causing very real challenges.”

He cited the issue of the “democratic deficit that sits at the heart of protocol as currently constructed” as one of the major “things we need to resolve”. 

It follows a trip to Northern Ireland yesterday (fri) where he hoped to win the support of political leaders. But Mr Sunak faced a setback as Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), told him that the pact as it stands would not win his party’s support. Sir Jeffrey said the deal as described to him “currently falls short of what would be acceptable”.