Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson reacts during the Convention of the North at the Magna Centre in Rotherham, Britain on Sep 13, 2019. (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Pool via Reuters)
LONDON: Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday (Sep 13) that he was "cautiously optimistic" about striking a Brexit deal ahead of his first face-to-face talks with EU chiefs next week.
Johnson is due to meet European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier in Luxembourg on Monday.
Johnson's upbeat tone on striking a divorce deal with the European Union in time for Britain's scheduled Oct 31 departure date is in marked contrast with the mood music from Brussels.
The British pound gained 1 per cent against the dollar in Friday trading on speculation that the two sides were edging closer to a compromise over the contentious Irish border issue.
But Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said the gap between London and Brussels remained "very wide".
0 Comments