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Take it or leave it: Boris Johnson will make dramatic final offer to EU bosses

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‘It’s my new deal or no deal’: Boris Johnson reveals he has just TEN DAYS to finalise Brexit plans as details of his ‘two borders for four years’ Irish solution emerge ahead of dramatic conference speech TODAY

  • In a speech he will warn Brussels ‘a new deal or No Deal’ is the only way forward 
  • PM will lay down a ‘fair compromise’ including customs checks for Irish backstop
  • If the EU refuses to negotiate, Britain will leave without agreement, a source said 
  • This is despite Members of Parliament passing a law ruling out a No Deal exit
  • No 10 source said Brussels should not try to bypass Mr Johnson in favour of MPs 

By Jason Groves and David Churchill For The Daily Mail and Joe Middleton For Mailonline

Published: 17:10 EDT, 1 October 2019 | Updated: 21:17 EDT, 1 October 2019

Boris Johnson has revealed he has just ten days to finalise Brexit plans as details of the ‘two borders for four years’ Irish backstop solution emerge ahead of his dramatic  take-it-or-leave-it offer to the EU today.

In a speech to the Conservative Party conference he will warn Brussels that ‘a new deal or No Deal’ are the only options.

The Prime Minister will set out a ‘two borders for four years’ plan to resolve the backstop issue by leaving Northern Ireland in a special relationship with Brussels that would last for four years from the end of the transition period in January 2021.

Presented to EU leaders yesterday, the scheme will face opposition because it will need sweeping exemptions from EU customs rules. 

The Irish government will also claim it risks breaching the Good Friday Agreement.

The Prime Minister (pictured on Tuesday) will lay down a ‘fair and reasonable compromise’ including customs checks to resolve the issue of the Irish backstop

After 2025, the Stormont assembly would be free to choose whether to stick to EU single market rules or follow British ones. 

It comes as the PM revealed to The Sun he has just ten days to get a Brexit deal reached with the EU. 

A senior government source said Britain would leave the EU on October 31 without agreement if Brussels did not ‘engage’. 

This is despite MPs passing a law ruling out a No Deal exit. 

The source added: ‘It is take it or leave it. Officials have made clear that if Brussels does not engage with this offer, then this Government will not negotiate further until we have left the EU. Officials also made clear the Prime Minister will in no circumstances negotiate a delay at the EU Council on October 17.’

Downing Street would not comment on the details of the scheme that were leaked to the Daily Telegraph.

If the EU refuses to negotiate, Britain will leave without agreement, according to a senior government source. Pictured: Mr Johnson on Tuesday

A highly-placed No 10 source said that Brussels should not try to bypass the Prime Minister in favour of MPs.

‘The EU is obliged by EU law only to negotiate with member state governments, they cannot negotiate with Parliament,’ said the insider.

David Frost, who is Mr Johnson’s chief Brexit adviser, will deliver details of the blueprint to Brussels today.

The Government hopes that the EU will agree to enter the ‘tunnel’ – code for intensive, secret negotiations aimed at finding a compromise.

But Mr Johnson faced a backlash yesterday when he confirmed for the first time that his plan will involve customs checks on the island of Ireland. 

A senior EU diplomat accused him of adopting ‘kamikaze’ tactics, saying Brussels would never accept the plan.

A highly-placed No 10 source said Brussels should not try to bypass the Prime Minister (pictured on Tuesday) in favour of MPs

The Government hopes that the EU will agree to enter the ‘tunnel’ – code for intensive, secret negotiations aimed at finding a compromise. Pictured: German Chancellor Angela Merkel (right) and Minister of Interior, Construction and Homeland Horst Seehofer in the Chancellery on Tuesday. Senior government sources believe much will hang on whether Merkel ‘comes out fighting’ for a compromise deal

Incoming EU trade commissioner Phil Hogan said another delay was now more likely than a deal.

However Brussels was last night reported to be considering putting a time limit on the backstop – a concession it had ruled out. Mr Johnson’s offer came as:

  • Cabinet sources confirmed that hardline Brexiteers would be expelled from the party if they voted against Mr Johnson’s plans later this month;
  • Downing Street denied rumours that Parliament would be suspended before a Queen’s speech on October 14;
  • Mr Johnson suggested he would ask EU leaders to rule out any further delay if a deal is struck, forcing MPs to choose between deal or No Deal;
  • Tory grandee Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown was kicked out of the conference after police were called to an incident in which he clashed with security staff.;

In media interviews yesterday, Mr Johnson said the chances of a deal were very good, provided the EU showed ‘common sense’. 

Under the new plan, the two sides would agree an all-Ireland food and agriculture zone to allow livestock and food to continue moving freely across the border.

Mr Johnson faced a backlash yesterday when he confirmed for the first time that his plan will involve customs checks on the island of Ireland. The reaction of Emmanuel Macron (pictured) to Mr Johnson’s proposals will be key. The French President is understood to be against the idea of a further Brexit extension

Mr Johnson will suggest the plan could be extended to cover industrial goods, provided the Northern Ireland Assembly agreed. 

The entire UK would leave the customs union, meaning that customs checks would be needed on goods crossing the border. 

But these would be carried out away from the border in order to reduce the risk of tensions.

The rest of the agreement negotiated by Theresa May would stay in place, including the £39billion divorce bill and an ‘implementation period’ until the start of 2021.

The senior EU diplomat said: ‘The kamikaze way this is now being dealt with by the UK Government is not something we’ve chosen.’  

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