British PM Johnson prepares for Brussels showdown in bid to win deal

LONDON, Sept 14 -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed Friday that he will hold a crucial meeting in Brussels on Monday in his latest bid to win a Brexit deal, Xinhua news agency reported.

During a visit on Friday to the county of Yorkshire, Johnson said during a keynote speech that he would be meeting the European Union (EU)'s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Monday.

"We will talk about the ideas that we've been working on and we will see where we get. I would say I'm cautiously optimistic," he said, adding that Britain will leave the EU by the Oct 31 deadline whatever happens.

"We are working incredibly hard to get a deal. There is the rough shape of a deal to be done. I myself have been to talk to various other EU leaders, particularly in Germany, in France and in Ireland, where we made a good deal of progress," he added.

Media reports from mainland Europe indicate that Johnson may face an uphill struggle securing the kind of deal he is seeking to bring Britain out of the bloc.

In Yorkshire where he met business leaders and politicians from across northern England, Johnson was also heckled and asked why he wasn't in the Houses of Parliament.

It was a reference to Johnson's suspension of the House of Commons, or the lower house, for five weeks, a move criticized by opponents as an attempt of Johnson to stifle debate on Britain's future with the EU.

Although Johnson will meet two of the key figures from the EU side on Monday, political commentators in London said Friday night that the real focus will come on Oct 17, when he will attend a meeting of the European Council, which is made up of the leaders of the 28 member states of the bloc.

-- BERNAMA