UK set to submit Brexit deal proposals

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — After months of Brexit stalemate, Britain is finally about to play its hand, setting out Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s proposals for a last-minute divorce deal with the European Union.

It’s a crucial moment for the embattled leader, who is faced with a sceptical EU, a divided U.K. and a supportive but worried Conservative Party.

The party that chose Johnson as its leader in July is mostly — but not unanimously — rallying behind a politician whose drive and energy have been stained by allegations of improper behaviour and divisive political tactics.

Johnson confirmed Tuesday that the government will send formal Brexit proposals to Brussels within days, saying “this is the moment when the rubber hits the road.”

Britain is due to leave the 28-nation bloc in just 30 days, and EU leaders are growing impatient with the U.K.‘s failure to set out detailed plans for maintaining an open border between the U.K.’s Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland — the key sticking point to a deal.

Johnson said details would be disclosed “very soon.”

The U.K. plans to send them to Brussels within days after the governing Conservative Party conference ends Wednesday in Manchester, northwest England.

Johnson says Britain will leave the EU on the scheduled October 31 date with or without a deal.

A Brexit agreement between the EU and his predecessor, Theresa May, was rejected three times by the U.K. Parliament, largely because of opposition to the “backstop,” an insurance policy designed to ensure there is no return to customs posts or other infrastructure on the Irish border.

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