Concrete proposals soon

New Brexit deal: PM

MANCHESTER, England, Oct 1, (AP): British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed Tuesday that Britain will make firm proposals for a new divorce deal with the European Union within days, saying “this is the moment when the rubber hits the road.”

Britain is due to leave the 28-nation bloc at the end of this month, and EU leaders are growing impatient with the UK’s failure to set out detailed plans for maintaining an open border between the UK’s Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland – the key sticking point to a deal.

Johnson said details would be disclosed “very soon.” The UK 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 Oct 31 date with or without a deal. A Brexit agreement between the EU and his predecessor, Theresa May, was rejected three times by the UK 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.

An open border underpins both the local economy and Northern Ireland’s peace process.

British Brexit supporters oppose the backstop because it would keep the UK tightly bound to EU trade rules in order to avoid customs checks – limiting the country’s ability to strike new trade deals around the world.

“There is no point in doing Brexit if you stay locked in the (EU) customs union and locked in the single market with no say,” Johnson told the BBC.

He didn’t say what Britain’s proposed alternative is. So far the UK has floated the idea of a common area for livestock and agricultural products, plus largely untested “technological solutions.” The EU says that is inadequate.

pleasantries with reporters aboard his plane but has said previously that he does not believe any State Department official acted inappropriately in contacts with Ukraine’s

Ireland’s deputy prime minister also rejected an idea raised in preliminary UK proposals for customs posts 5 to 10 miles (8 to 16 kilometers) away from the border. Simon Coveney called the idea a “non-starter” and tweeted: “Time the EU had a serious proposal from the UK Govt if a #Brexit deal is to be achievable in October. NI and IRE deserves better!”

Johnson said the idea was not going to be included.

“That’s not what we’re proposing at all,” he said – but added that it was a “reality” that some checks would be needed to create a “single customs territory” for the UK

Johnson insists he wants to strike a deal with the EU to replace May’s rejected Brexit agreement. He also says the UK can handle any bumps that come from tumbling out of the bloc without a deal, which would mean the instant imposition of customs checks and other barriers between Britain and the EU, its biggest trading partner.

But the UK government and businesses say the disruptions would be substantial.

Trade Minister George Freeman told lawmakers at the Conservative conference that “if we leave without a deal, it’s going to be very bumpy.” He said the flow of trade across the Channel between the English port of Dover and the French port of Calais – the UK’s most important trade route – could be cut in half as customs and vehicle checks were introduced.

At the annual conference, Johnson is attempting to energize his party with all the bold policies he says the government will deliver once the UK manages to “Get Brexit Done” – from more money for police, roads and housing to a big hike in the minimum wage.

The policies, which break with a decade of deficit-slashing austerity by Johnson’s Conservative predecessors, are also designed to appeal to voters in a national election that looks likely to be called within weeks.

government. Pompeo has been subpoenaed for documents related to Ukraine by three House committees, and several current and former State Department officials are due to give depositions to House investigators beginning this week. (AP)

‘No common minimum wage’:

The official set to become the European Union’s employment chief has no plan to create a minimum wage that would apply in every country of the 28-nation bloc.

Laying out his priorities during a hearing by European lawmakers, Nicolas Schmit said Tuesday he will fight for the implementation of minimum standards aimed at tackling revenue disparities across the EU, but insisted minimum wages can’t be the same everywhere.

Schmit, who has been picked to take on the jobs portfolio in the next European Commission scheduled to take office on Nov. 1, said “by no means” he wants to create “a European frame for minimum wages.”

According to the Eurostat agency, 22 out of the 28 member states had national gross minimum wages as of January 2019, ranging from 286 euros ($311) in Bulgaria to 2,071 euros ($2,255) in Luxembourg. Monthly minimum wages are generally below 600 euros ($653) in eastern countries and above 1,400 euros ($1,524) in the northwestern nations. (AP)