British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told French President Emmanuel Macron that he wanted a Brexit deal and believed it was still possible to reach one in time for the Oct. 31 deadline.
Johnson also said he had been “powerfully encouraged” by what he had heard from German Chancellor Angela Merkel during talks in Berlin on Wednesday.
Johnson insisted that under no circumstances would the United Kingdom set up border checks on the boundary between EU member Ireland and the British region of Northern Ireland.
He added that understood the EU’s desire to preserve the integrity of its single market, but believed this was compatible with a Brexit deal that would also preserve the integrity of the United Kingdom.
He mentioned trusted-trader schemes and electronic pre-clearing for goods, as alternatives to border controls.