UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will unveil detailed plans for Brexit to the European Union before Thursday this week, including how to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, a government source told Reuters on Monday night, Euronews reports.
The UK is reportedly proposing a series of customs centres on both sides of the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, away from the frontier itself.
Several reports suggest the British government is about to launch a new drive to try to secure a Brexit deal with the EU, which has long complained at the lack of detailed proposals from the UK.
The Irish government and the UK’s Labour opposition have already dismissed the proposed details.
Johnson has consistently said the UK will leave the EU on October 31 – even though parliament has legislated to try to block a no-deal Brexit.
The news came hours after Sajid Javad, the Chancellor, said that the UK was ready to “draw on the full armoury of economic policy” if Britain had to leave the EU without a deal, something that Johnson continues to refuse to rule out as an option come October 31.
Speaking at the Conservative party conference in Manchester a month before Britain is due to leave the EU, Javid said his department would prepare a comprehensive response, working with the Bank of England.
Johnson has split parliament, his party and the electorate by promising to deliver Brexit on Oct. 31, with or without a transition agreement - at the risk of triggering shortages of food, medicine and fuel.
“I’ve tasked the Treasury with preparing a comprehensive economic response to support the economy, working closely with the Bank of England,” Javid said. “Deal or no deal, we will be ready.”
Treasury officials said that response would need to be set out in a budget but declined to say when that budget would happen or what it might contain.
Johnson and members of his cabinet have repeatedly said that they want to reach a deal with EU leaders before the end of October deadline, but a major sticking point remains the Irish border, as while Northern Ireland will leave the EU.
Late Monday night, Irish broadcaster RTE reported that the government had come up with a solution to the so-called 'Irish backstop', by setting up "customs clearance centres" on both sides of the border.