LONDON — The Latest on Brexit developments (all times local):
12:20 p.m.
The Dutch government says proposals by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson need “more realism and clarity” if they stand any chance of staving off a chaotic no-deal Brexit at the end of the month.
Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said after meeting Johnson’s Brexit envoy Stephen Barclay on Monday that “important questions still remain.”
He insisted the Netherlands stood fully behind EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier.
The EU’s executive Commission said that Johnson needs to rid himself of all elements in his proposal that are based on “untried and revocable arrangements” that would spill over into a transition period after a deal is found.
EU officials have been sharply critical of a proposal that would give a regional legislature in Northern Ireland an effective veto on key elements of the Irish border arrangements in the future and of customs proposals based on technology that is still being tested.
The EU is expecting workable proposals by the end of the week so they have time to prepare next week’s EU summit.
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10:30 a.m.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is making phone calls to other European Union leaders as he tries to overcome opposition to his Brexit deal.
The EU has responded coolly to a U.K. plan to maintain an open Irish border after Britain leaves the 28-nation bloc. Both sides have agreed there must be no checks or infrastructure along the border between EU member Ireland and the U.K.’s Northern Ireland. Under the U.K. plan there would be customs checks, but Britain says they could be conducted away from the border.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said the EU will decide by the end of the week whether an amicable divorce deal is possible.
Johnson is urging the bloc to compromise and says Britain will leave the EU on the scheduled date of Oct. 31, with or without a deal.
The Associated Press
