UK sends “compromise” Brexit proposal to EU
(VOVWORLD) - Britain offered the European Union a last-minute Brexit deal on Wednesday that it said represented a realistic compromise for both sides, as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged the bloc to hold “rapid negotiations toward a solution” after years of wrangling.
With Britain due to leave the bloc at the end of this month, Johnson said in a letter to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker that not reaching a deal would be “a failure of statecraft for which we would all be responsible.” The EU gave the proposals a guarded welcome and said the two sides would negotiate over the coming days. The new proposals focus on maintaining an open border between the UK’s Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland — the key sticking point to a Brexit deal. The UK proposes to do that by keeping Northern Ireland closely aligned to EU trade regulations relating to goods, possibly for an extended period.