Britain and France were closing in on a deal to tackle the Channel migrant crisis tonight.
Rishi Sunak ’s spokesman revealed negotiations were in their "final stages", following the Prime Minister’s meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Egypt.
Mr Sunak claimed: "I'm actually leaving this with renewed confidence and optimism that working together with our European partners, we can make a difference, grip this challenge of illegal migration and stop people coming illegally."
The pair spoke in the margins of the COP27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Separate talks on the specifics of a pact to ease the migrant crisis were taking place between Home Office and French officials.
The PM’s spokesman said: "A deal is being discussed and I think is in its final stages.”
The crisis, which has seen nearly 40,000 migrants cross the Strait of Dover this year in small boats, has piled pressure on beleaguered Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick today told MPs he wants to end the use of hotels to house migrants.
The bill to taxpayers is set to hit more than £2billion.
Looking at alternatives, Mr Jenrick said the Government may need to use "some larger sites to provide decent but basic accommodation".
MPs heard the number of migrants at the Manston processing centre in Kent is "back below 1,600" with "over 2,300 people being placed in onward accommodation" since last week.
Earlier, Business Secretary Grant Shapps, who was Home Secretary for six days last month, revealed he was advised Britain was "in danger" of breaking the law over its processing of migrants during his short tenure.
Mrs Braverman has insisted she did not ignore legal advice over the length of time asylum seekers were held at Manston, a former RAF base.
Asked why he was keen to move migrants into hotels while he was in the role, Ms Shapps said: "Simply that we've got to be careful not to break the law ourselves by detaining people who are able to be outside of that - well, it's not a detention centre, but a processing centre - at Manston.
“So, really just a question of making sure that we were acting within the law - that's something that the Home Secretary is continuing to do now."
Pressed on whether that meant the Government was breaking the law previously, he added: "The advice I had was very clear - that we were in danger of doing that if we weren't acting.
“I did act during six days in the job."
