British Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street to attend the reopening of the Parliament in London, Britain, Sept. 25, 2019.(Photo by Ray Tang/Xinhua)
The British government was sending to the EU "constructive and reasonable proposals which provide a compromise for both sides," says Boris Johnson, adding that "if the EU does not accept this offer, the alternative will be a no-deal Brexit."
LONDON, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson set the scene for a final showdown with Brussels Wednesday, saying Britain will leave the European Union (EU) with no deal on Oct. 31 if his final proposals are rejected.
Johnson, giving his first speech as prime minister to the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, insisted the proposals sent to the EU would not mean any checks at or near the border between Northern Ireland and the neighboring Irish Republic.
Photo taken on Sept. 29, 2019 shows the Manchester Central Convention Complex where the Conservative Party Conference 2019 takes place, in Manchester, Britain.(Xinhua/Han Yan)
He told delegates the government was sending to the EU what he believed are constructive and reasonable proposals which provide a compromise for both sides.
"If the EU does not accept this offer, the alternative will be a no-deal Brexit," said the British PM.
He added that "I hope very much our friends understand that and compromise in their turn. Because if we fail to get an agreement because of what is essentially a technical discussion of the exact nature of future customs checks, when that technology is improving the whole time, then let us be in no doubt that the alternative is no deal."
Johnson said that is not an outcome Britain wants or an outcome the country seeks at all.
"But let me tell you this, it is an outcome for which we are ready," added the prime minister.
The Guardian newspaper in London commented that Johnson's final "take it or leave it" Brexit offer to Brussels is in danger of being dead on arrival after it was rounded on by government and opposition parties in Ireland.
Later Wednesday Johnson is expected to talk with EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker about the documents Britain has sent to Brussels.
David Frost, the British government's chief negotiator, is to meet the EU's Brexit Task Force later Wednesday for technical discussions on the proposals.
Media reports said Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, will brief diplomats from the 27 EU member states on the British proposals.■
