The European Union and Britain are in the process of reaching a preliminary deal for the latter's access to the Frontex border agency, reports said Tuesday.

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said negotiations were ongoing and the text of a deal had not yet been agreed.

"Obviously we hope to achieve a deal that works for us and our European neighbours," he said. "I don’t recognize some of the reporting I have seen today."

The spokesperson said Britain and the European Commission are in talks about how to deal with the issue of migration.

While Britain has reached bilateral agreements – including a recent deal with Türkiye to disrupt people-smuggling gangs and tackle illegal migration – it no longer has returns agreements with the EU since leaving the bloc in 2020.

Asked if the government would like the EU to agree a deal on returning people who have crossed the Channel, the spokesperson said: "We want to look at everything as a whole. I don’t want to get into the details of what is being negotiated."