Johnson confronts moment of truth for Brexit

Bloomberg

British PM Boris Johnson is facing the moment of truth for his Brexit strategy as he prepares to present his blueprint for a deal to the European Union in days.
The reception his plan receives in Brussels and among pro-Brexit members of his ruling Conservative Party will determine whether there is any hope of securing an orderly exit for the UK by the end of this month.
If Johnson’s strategy fails, he will face a choice between seeking another delay to the October 31 deadline — something he says he will never do — or trying to force the country out of the EU with no deal, which his opponents in Parliament have moved to stop.
While there are signs that purist euroskeptics in Johnson’s Tory party are willing to compromise and back a deal to secure Brexit, he will struggle to convince the EU to accept his proposals. Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said on Tuesday that what has been put forward so far is a non-starter.
The UK is due to leave the EU on October 31 and Johnson says he is determined to deliver Brexit on time — even if that means doing so with no deal to cushion the impact on trade.
Any agreement must pass through parliament in London but Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May, tried and failed three times to win backing for the contract she negotiated with the bloc. The key sticking point remains how to ensure there are no checks on goods crossing the land border between the UK and Ireland.
For Johnson, a key demand is to ensure Britain is not trapped indefinitely in the so-called “backstop” arrangement, which would tie the UK into the EU’s customs rules, defeating the point of Brexit.
But there is a risk that what Johnson is asking for is unacceptable in Brussels. Irish broadcaster RTE reported that the UK has proposed customs checks five to 10 miles away from the Irish border. That may be rejected by the EU side.
A UK government spokesman said Johnson was not proposing any customs controls at the Irish border. One British official added that Johnson’s team expected most checks on goods to take place away from the frontier, either at dedicated premises or at the destination. It would be up to the customs authorities to decide where to conduct checks.
Johnson is vowing to use the final month before Brexit day to step up efforts to get a deal that will be acceptable in both Brussels and London.