Boris Johnson set to table fresh plans to secure Brexit deal
British prime minister Boris Johnson is set to table fresh plans to secure a Brexit deal with fears mounting that an agreement will be impossible by this week's EU summit.
Sources in London and Brussels said Britain will put forward an update to the Northern Ireland customs union proposal on Tuesday after Mr Johnson spoke for 90 minutes with DUP leader Arlene Foster and deputy leader Nigel Dodds late on Monday night.
At their three hour meeting in Cheshire, England, last Thursday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and British prime minister Boris Johnson said in a rare joint statement
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This pathway is centred on allowing Northern Ireland to leave the EU with the rest of the UK on condition Northern Ireland also continues to implement the EU's custom rules.
However, in recent days EU officials have warned the plan is not practicable, while the DUP has told London it will not accept any deal which treats Northern Ireland differently to the rest of the UK.
While the details of Mr Johnson's updated plan are not yet known, it is expected the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier will publicly outline the latest proposals at a briefing on Tuesday afternoon.
The EU's foreign affairs council - which includes Tánaiste Simon Coveney and European Affairs Minister Helen McEntee - is currently meeting at the European conference centre in Luxembourg.
This meeting, and a crucial meeting of EU member states' ambassadors on Wednesday, will effectively decide if a proposed Brexit deal should be tabled or not at the EU summit of leaders in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.
If it is tabled, the spotlight will focus on the possibility of striking a deal this week which would both allow the Brexit issue to finally be resolved and help Mr Johnson to avoid his requirement under British law to seek an extension on Saturday if no deal is agreed.
However, if progress does not take place, speculation is mounting in Luxembourg and Brussels that Mr Barnier will recommend holding an emergency EU summit next week or seeking a technical extension to the October 31 deadline.
Both of these options are seen as a last resort to avoid a no deal crash out Brexit in just over a fortnight's time.
