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| Angela Merkel and Boris Johnson Clash Over Brexit Proposal | Angela Merkel and Boris Johnson Clash Over Brexit Proposal |
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| LONDON — The prospect of a Brexit deal between Britain and the European Union appeared fainter than ever on Tuesday, after an early-morning phone call between Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany underscored the deep differences between the two sides. | LONDON — The prospect of a Brexit deal between Britain and the European Union appeared fainter than ever on Tuesday, after an early-morning phone call between Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany underscored the deep differences between the two sides. |
| Hopes for a deal before the Oct. 31 deadline were already fading, and the latest setback sets the stage for a next fraught chapter in the tortured discussions over Britain’s three-year battle to leave the European Union, in which European leaders must decide whether to grant another delay to withdrawal. | Hopes for a deal before the Oct. 31 deadline were already fading, and the latest setback sets the stage for a next fraught chapter in the tortured discussions over Britain’s three-year battle to leave the European Union, in which European leaders must decide whether to grant another delay to withdrawal. |
| Mr. Johnson has insisted that Britain will leave at the end of the month, with or without an agreement, but another delay would buy time for a general election in Britain, which now seems like a certainty, and avoid the risk of a no-deal Brexit in just a few weeks’ time. | Mr. Johnson has insisted that Britain will leave at the end of the month, with or without an agreement, but another delay would buy time for a general election in Britain, which now seems like a certainty, and avoid the risk of a no-deal Brexit in just a few weeks’ time. |
| The phone call with Mrs. Merkel on Tuesday appeared to dash whatever limited hope remained of an agreement before Oct. 31, after the German chancellor made clear in the talks on Tuesday that she could not agree to central elements of proposals made by Mr. Johnson last week, according to reports in the British news media. | The phone call with Mrs. Merkel on Tuesday appeared to dash whatever limited hope remained of an agreement before Oct. 31, after the German chancellor made clear in the talks on Tuesday that she could not agree to central elements of proposals made by Mr. Johnson last week, according to reports in the British news media. |
| Downing Street described the 30-minute call as a “frank exchange” — a formulation usually applied to difficult conversations — adding that Britain needed “to see some compromise on the E.U. side.” | Downing Street described the 30-minute call as a “frank exchange” — a formulation usually applied to difficult conversations — adding that Britain needed “to see some compromise on the E.U. side.” |
| Mr. Johnson’s spokesman refused to confirm or deny a more hard-line briefing to the BBC, ascribed to a “No. 10 source,” which described the call as a “clarifying moment” that meant that “a deal is essentially impossible not just now but ever.” | Mr. Johnson’s spokesman refused to confirm or deny a more hard-line briefing to the BBC, ascribed to a “No. 10 source,” which described the call as a “clarifying moment” that meant that “a deal is essentially impossible not just now but ever.” |
| That stoked the rising tensions that were reflected in comments from Donald Tusk, the head of the European Council, who said on Twitter that the British prime minister seemed more interested in “winning some stupid blame game.” | |
| Mr. Johnson has pledged to leave the European Union at the end of the month, “come what may,” but a law recently passed by Parliament requires him to request a third Brexit extension if he fails to reach an agreement that has the approval of both the European Union and the British Parliament. | Mr. Johnson has pledged to leave the European Union at the end of the month, “come what may,” but a law recently passed by Parliament requires him to request a third Brexit extension if he fails to reach an agreement that has the approval of both the European Union and the British Parliament. |
| Though British lawmakers have three times voted against a Brexit deal, most of them oppose a “no deal” Brexit because of the widely held belief that it would be economically disastrous for the country. | Though British lawmakers have three times voted against a Brexit deal, most of them oppose a “no deal” Brexit because of the widely held belief that it would be economically disastrous for the country. |
| The British government outlined its latest preparations for that scenario on Tuesday, amid warnings that leaving without an agreement could come with a potentially heavy cost to public finances, and to businesses that would face new administrative burdens. | The British government outlined its latest preparations for that scenario on Tuesday, amid warnings that leaving without an agreement could come with a potentially heavy cost to public finances, and to businesses that would face new administrative burdens. |
| According to British officials, Mrs. Merkel outlined serious objections to Mr. Johnson’s proposals on how to prevent checks on goods on the border between Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, and Ireland, which will remain part of the European Union. | According to British officials, Mrs. Merkel outlined serious objections to Mr. Johnson’s proposals on how to prevent checks on goods on the border between Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, and Ireland, which will remain part of the European Union. |
| The frontier is highly sensitive politically, and there is no desire on anyone involved in the negotiations to introduce checkpoints at or near it. | The frontier is highly sensitive politically, and there is no desire on anyone involved in the negotiations to introduce checkpoints at or near it. |
| Mr. Johnson has proposed keeping Northern Ireland largely under many of the European Union’s rules for agriculture, and for product and environmental standards for goods, so long as Northern Ireland political parties back such an approach. | Mr. Johnson has proposed keeping Northern Ireland largely under many of the European Union’s rules for agriculture, and for product and environmental standards for goods, so long as Northern Ireland political parties back such an approach. |
| But Mr. Johnson wants to take Northern Ireland, along with the rest of the United Kingdom, out of the European Union’s trading and customs system. He argues that, while some customs checks will be necessary, they can be minimized and take place well away from the border. | But Mr. Johnson wants to take Northern Ireland, along with the rest of the United Kingdom, out of the European Union’s trading and customs system. He argues that, while some customs checks will be necessary, they can be minimized and take place well away from the border. |
| That notion has been rejected by the Irish government in Dublin, and it also proved to be a sticking point for Mrs. Merkel, according to British officials. | That notion has been rejected by the Irish government in Dublin, and it also proved to be a sticking point for Mrs. Merkel, according to British officials. |
| Downing Street said on Tuesday that the only alternative the European Union had suggested to Mr. Johnson’s proposal was the so-called Irish backstop plan rejected three times by Britain’s Parliament. That would require Northern Ireland to stay in Europe’s customs union, perhaps indefinitely. | Downing Street said on Tuesday that the only alternative the European Union had suggested to Mr. Johnson’s proposal was the so-called Irish backstop plan rejected three times by Britain’s Parliament. That would require Northern Ireland to stay in Europe’s customs union, perhaps indefinitely. |
| Opposition parties in Britain criticized the latest statements from Downing Street, accusing officials there of trying to mask what they said was his desire for a no-deal Brexit. | Opposition parties in Britain criticized the latest statements from Downing Street, accusing officials there of trying to mask what they said was his desire for a no-deal Brexit. |
| “Boris Johnson will never take responsibility for his own failure to put forward a credible deal,” said Keir Starmer, who speaks for the opposition Labour Party on Brexit. “His strategy from day one has been for a no-deal Brexit.” | “Boris Johnson will never take responsibility for his own failure to put forward a credible deal,” said Keir Starmer, who speaks for the opposition Labour Party on Brexit. “His strategy from day one has been for a no-deal Brexit.” |