Brexit Secretary David Davis will call for "a deal like no other in history" as he heads into talks with the EU, BBC News said.

Subjects for the negotiations, which officially start in Brussels, include the status of expats, the UK's "divorce bill" and the Northern Ireland border.

Davis said there was a "long road ahead" but predicted a "deep and special partnership".

The UK is set to leave the EU by the end of March 2019. The talks are due to get under way at 10:00 BST.

Day one of the negotiations, at the European Commission buildings in Brussels, will be followed by a joint press conference this evening by Davis and the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier, a former French foreign minister and EU commissioner.

Accoridng to the BBC, the opening session would focus on basic issues of procedure such as how often the two men and their teams will meet and in what order items will be discussed.

Above all, she added, it would be a "trust-building exercise" after all the "mud-throwing" of recent months.

The UK minister, who will be accompanied by a team of British officials, is expected to say: "Today marks the start of negotiations that will shape the future of the European Union and the United Kingdom, and the lives of our citizens.

"We want both sides to emerge strong and prosperous, capable of projecting our shared European values, leading in the world, and demonstrating our resolve to protect the security of our citizens.

"I want to reiterate at the outset of these talks that the UK will remain a committed partner and ally of our friends across the continent.

"And while there is a long road ahead, our destination is clear - a deep and special partnership between the UK and the EU. A deal like no other in history."

The BBC has been told by European Union sources that the talks will follow the EU's preferred pattern of exit negotiations first, with the future relations between the two sides - including the free trade deal the UK is seeking - at a later date.

Five major UK business bodies have come together to call for continued access to the European single market until a final Brexit deal is made with the EU.

In a letter to Business Secretary Greg Clark they urged the government to "put the economy first".