The government has published its Brexit proposals to the EU, including plans to replace the Irish backstop.

The plan would see Northern Ireland essentially stay in the European single market for goods through the creation of an “all-island regulatory zone”. The Northern Ireland Assembly would have to approve the arrangements first and be able to vote every four years on whether to keep them. The European Commission says it will “examine [the proposals] objectively”.

Speaking at the Conservative Party conference, Mr Johnson said the only alternative to his plan was no-deal.

He has written to the European Commission’s president, Jean-Claude Juncker, alongside the proposals, saying they “respect the decision taken by the people of the UK to leave the EU, while dealing pragmatically with that decision’s consequences in Northern Ireland and in Ireland”.

Speaking before he saw the plan, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told the Irish Parliament: “What we are hearing is not encouraging and would not be the basis for agreement.”

The UK is set to leave the EU on 31 October and the government has insisted it will not negotiate a further delay beyond the Halloween deadline.

However, under the terms of a law passed by Parliament last month, the PM faces having to request another extension unless MPs back the terms of withdrawal by 19 October – two days after a summit of European leaders.

//SC//BBC//