Brexit Divorce Talks Between UK and EU Go Down to the Wire
Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 5:40 am
FILE - Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson is seen at the venue for the Conservative Party annual conference in Manchester, Britain, Oct. 1, 2019.
LONDON - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to brief his Cabinet on the progress of last-minute Brexit talks with the European Union.
Britain is due to leave the 28-nation bloc on Oct. 31, and attempts to find a deal have foundered over plans for the border between EU member Ireland and the U.K.'s Northern Ireland.
But negotiations intensified last week after Johnson and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said they could see a "pathway" to a divorce agreement.
Both sides say substantial gaps remain and it's unclear whether they can be bridged in time. A crucial EU summit, the last scheduled chance to strike a deal, begins Thursday.
House of Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg said Johnson would update the Cabinet in a conference call later Sunday.