EU to propose Irish border alternative, UK cabinet pushing defiant stance – Reuters

The Irish border backstop continues to be a wide gap between the EU and the UK amidst Brexit talks, and Reuters is reporting that The UK Times and The Sun are delivering critical snippets that point to continued loggerheads over what to do about Ireland’s border in a post-Brexit world.

Key highlights (via Reuters)

The UK Times:  The European Union is preparing to back a compromise proposal on the Irish border to resolve the last major hurdle in Brexit negotiations, the Times of London reported on Monday.  Senior EU figures have indicated that they are prepared to offer British Prime Minister Theresa May an “independent mechanism” by which Britain could end a temporary customs arrangement with the bloc, the Times reported  without citing sources.

The Sun:  UK cabinet ministers are set to tell Prime Minister Theresa May to ‘stare down’ the EU on the Irish border issue or face Brexit deal being destroyed, the Sun newspaper reported  on Monday.  Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt will lead as many as 12 cabinet ministers in defiant stand at the cabinet’s weekly meeting, the report said, adding that they will call on May to insist on a system in which Britain is in control of how long it stays in any backstop customs union.