Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1173510
03.10.19 12 NEWS COUNTDOWN TO BREXIT 28 DAYS TO GO THE absence of a "take it or leave it" demand in Boris Johnson's conference speech has offered some hope in Brus- sels of a prime ministerial U-turn on what EU officials have described as un- workable proposals for the Irish border. Downing Street had briefed before the address in Manchester that Johnson would use his platform to make a "final offer" to Brussels, but the rhetoric ap- peared in the end far more conciliatory than billed. Johnson instead stressed the UK was making a fair proposal which would avoid extra checks on goods on or near the bor- der and that the EU should "compromise in their turn". e prime minister's proposal for a time-limited period of regulatory align- ment between Northern Ireland and the Republic Ireland but with the whole of the UK leaving the EU's customs territory is seen in Brussels as being "fundamentally flawed". It is hoped Johnson will come to rec- ognise that the EU cannot accept a pro- posal that creates a customs border on the island of Ireland due to the risks to the single market, the all-Ireland econ- omy and peace in the region. Given the UK is proposing a four- year time limit on alignment between Northern Ireland and the EU standards, there is some hope the British govern- ment might move on customs too. e EU is open to a Northern Ire- land-only backstop that would keep the province in the customs union and under swathes of single-market legisla- tion. ere are yet to be discussions on putting a time limit on such an arrange- ment but some EU sources have sug- gested Dublin could be put under pres- sure to accept such a deal if it was clear that the Commons would accept it. e more likely outcome, EU sources suggested, was that there would not be a deal and that the UK would be seeking an extension to its membership beyond 31 October. "is cannot be his last plan," said one senior source close to the negotiations. "It is unworkable to dissociate customs from the regulatory regime. No point in even considering a time limit on some- thing that is not workable." A second diplomatic source added: "At least he didn't say in the speech it was his final offer. So we'll be listening very carefully to see if there's scope to bring it back somewhere reasonable." Johnson's chief Brexit negotiator, Da- vid Frost, will formally present the UK's legal text on the Irish border to the Eu- ropean commission later on Wednes- day afternoon. e prime minister is expected to make a series of calls to EU leaders, including the commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, in the hope that there can be a period of intensive engagement on his proposals before a crunch summit on 17 October. ere are, however, grave doubts about Johnson's sincerity in wanting a deal and suspicion that the UK is en- gaging in "blame game management" ahead of a general election. On Wednesday morning, the Irish deputy prime minister, Simon Coveney, told reporters he was concerned by the UK's direction of travel. He said: "Essentially, if he's proposing customs checks on the island of Ireland I don't think that's going to be the basis of an agreement. But let's wait and see the detail on that before we make a full judgment on it. "If there is a proposal that involves customs checks on the island of Ireland, that in itself is bad faith given the com- mitments the British government has given both to Ireland and the EU over the last three years. "We'll have to wait and see. Obviously we'll study any proposal carefully, but if the reports are true it doesn't look like the basis of an agreement, that's for sure." Brussels takes heart from Johnson stopping short of 'take it or leave it' Brexit statement Boris Johnson delivering his keynote speech to the Conservative party conference in Manchester