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A8 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 3 OcTOber 2019

May, was rejected by the while "the proposals do not out the administration’s
U.K. Parliament, largely be- fully meet the agreed ob- plans. A short suspension of
cause of opposition to the jectives of the backstop," that kind is routine and usu-
"backstop," an insurance Varadkar would "study ally happens about once a
policy designed to ensure them in further detail." year.
there is no return to customs Johnson has vowed that Johnson, who has had a tu-
posts or other infrastructure Britain will leave on Oct. multuous 70 days in office,
on the Irish border. 31, with or without a Brexit is eager to refocus atten-
An open border underpins deal. tion away from Brexit. On
both the local economy In Wednesday’s speech Wednesday he delivered
and Northern Ireland's he repeated his conten- a speech peppered with
peace process. But John- tion that the U.K. can han- puns, grand claims about
son and other British Brexit dle any bumps that come Britain’s greatness and
supporters oppose the from tumbling out of the jokes at the expense of his
backstop because it would bloc without a deal, which opponents _ chiefly left-
keep the U.K. tightly bound would mean the instant im- wing Labour Party leader
to EU trade rules in order to position of customs checks Jeremy Corbyn, whom he
avoid customs checks — and other barriers between dubbed a “communist cos-
limiting the country's ability Britain and the EU, its big- monaut.”
to strike new trade deals gest trading partner. It was also, pointedly, a
around the world. A no-deal Brexit is "not an pre-election speech, with
Johnson insisted that “we outcome we want ... (but) a grab-bag of promises:
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, left, will under no circumstanc- it is an outcome for which more money for hospitals
talks to European Union chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier
during a weekly meeting of the College of Commissioners at EU es have checks at or near we are ready," he said. and police, unspecified tax
headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019. the border in Northern Ire- But the U.K. government cuts, greener buses and
Associated Press land." and businesses both say faster internet access.
The British proposal involves the disruptions would be The brash Brexit champion
Continued from Front ly chose to leave the EU but “an all-island regulatory substantial, with the flow of is popular with many Con-
The new proposals focus the country remains deeply zone on the island of Ire- goods coming into Britain servatives, who welcome
on maintaining an open divided over how to do it. land, covering all goods through the major Channel his energy and optimism
border between the U.K.’s In his speech, Johnson said including agrifood.” That port of Dover cut in half. after three years of Brexit
Northern Ireland and EU people who voted for Brexit would keep Northern Ire- Many lawmakers want to gridlock under May. Some,
member Ireland _ the key “are beginning to feel that land in a regulatory zone prevent a no-deal exit, and though, have qualms
sticking point to a Brexit they are being taken for with the EU for food, agri- have passed a law that about his personal conduct
deal. The U.K. proposes to fools." He warned of “grave cultural and industrial prod- compels the government and his divisive tactics,
do that by keeping North- consequences for trust in ucts, removing the need for to seek a delay to Brexit which include using words
ern Ireland closely aligned our democracy” if Britain checks. if it can't get an agree- like "surrender" and "be-
to EU rules for trade in did not leave the EU on the The U.K. proposal does not ment with the EU by Oct. trayal" about opponents of
goods, possibly for an ex- scheduled date of Oct. 31. put a time limit on that sta- 19. Johnson says he won’t Brexit.
tended period. He said the government tus, though it would have do that _ although he also He has been dogged by
The proposals, and John- was offering “constructive to be renewed every four insists he will obey the law. allegations that he hand-
son’s letter, were concilia- and reasonable proposals” years by the Northern Ire- He has not explained how ed out perks to a female
tory, despite having been to the EU. land Assembly. However, doing both will be possible. friend's business while he
billed by Johnson’s office The plan is “a compromise that assembly has been Johnson also suffered a was mayor of London and
as a take-it-or-leave it “final by the U.K. And I hope very suspended for more than major setback when the groped the thigh of a fe-
offer.” much that our friends un- two years by a dispute U.K. Supreme Court ruled male journalist at a lunch
Instead, Johnson used a derstand that and compro- between the main Union- last week that his attempt two decades ago. Johnson
speech to his Conservative mise in their turn,” Johnson ist and Nationalist power- to shut down Parliament denies impropriety in both
Party to implore the bloc, said. sharing parties. for five weeks was unlawful cases.
and Britons, to end more But the plan is likely to face Under the plan there would because it had the effect The claims have not dent-
than three years of acrimo- deep skepticism from EU still need to be customs of frustrating Parliament’s ed his popularity among
nious wrangling over the leaders, who will need to checks, but Johnson sug- ability to scrutinize the gov- many Conservatives.
terms of the U.K.’s exit from be convinced the U.K. has gested they could be car- ernment’s Brexit plan. “We don’t need Saint Bo-
the EU. a workable proposal to ried out away from the bor- The British government ris, thank you,” said Jean
“Let’s get Brexit done,” was avoid checks on goods or der at “other points on the said Wednesday it will ask Chesworth, a delegate
the repeated refrain to del- people crossing the Irish supply chain.” Queen Elizabeth II to sus- from Newcastle-under-
egates at the conference border. The Irish government said pend Parliament again Lyme in central England.
in Manchester, northwest A Brexit agreement be- Prime Minister Leo Varadkar next week _ but just for “We’re none of us saints.
England. tween the EU and John- spoke to Johnson by phone a few days ahead of a We can all look at the skel-
British voters in 2016 narrow- son’s predecessor, Theresa on Wednesday. It said that speech on Oct. 14 laying etons in our cupboards.”q