British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday prepared to unveil a "final offer" to the European Union, claiming that the UK would leave "come what may" if Brussels refused to engage with his latest proposal, Deutsche Welle reports.
Johnson told delegates at a conference of his ruling Conservative Party that he would present Brussels with a set of proposals later in the day, but that these would require compromise.
"Today in Brussels we are tabling what I believe are constructive and reasonable proposals which provide a compromise for both sides," Johnson told the conference in Manchester.
"This is a compromise by the UK, and I hope very much that our friends understand that and compromise in their turn."
Johnson promised there would be no checks at the border in Northern Ireland, and that the province's peace process would be respected. However, the prime minister gave little more in the way of detail during the speech.
Johnson is expected to put his plans — which look set to be met with skepticism from other European Union leaders — directly to Brussels later in the day.
The UK's Daily Telegraph newspaper on Wednesday reported the proposed terms. According to this account, Northern Ireland would broadly remain part of the EU Single Marketuntil at least 2025. However, the province would leave Europe's Customs Union along with the rest of the UK — a solution that would potentially require two borders, one of which would be in the Irish Sea.
Downing Street said it would be the "final offer," and that Johnson would stick to his pledge that Britain will leave the EU on October 31 — with or without a deal.