European Union's Finnish Presidency demanded on Thursday that Britain deliver a new written Brexit proposal by end of September or face a messy "-deal" divorce, an ultimatum immediately rejected by London. Britain is racing toward its October 31 departure without an exit agreement and facing threat of border disruptions that government mits could cause food shorts and spark civil unrest. sides have been irreconcilably split over ways to avoid a hard border between EU member Ireland and UK's rrn Ireland in any Brexit scenario.

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Demand for a new proposal

An agreement that includes so-called "backstop", which would temporarily keep Britain in bloc's customs union, has been repeatedly rejected by UK parliament. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed to come up with a new solution and t to sign any in which backstop remains. But EU officials have rejected London's past suggestions and have called for a clear alternative well before Johnson attends a potentially decisive EU summit in Brussels on October 17-18. A spokesman for Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne said

" UK must come up with a written proposal by end of this month". Finland holds EU's rotating presidency and occasionally speaks for bloc.

But a Downing Street spokesman said London would spell out its views when it was rey and when Brussels opted a more constructive tone. "We will table formal written solutions when we are rey, t according to an artificial deline, and when EU is clear that it will eng constructively on m," UK government spokesman said.

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latest salvo in ongoing war of words between London and Brussels was fired despite reports of feverish negotiations being held in various European capitals. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker told Britain's Sky News television that EU was open to dropping backstop if Johnson's government came up with a fail-safe alternative. "If objectives are met, all of m n we don't need backstop," Juncker said. "If results are re, I don't care about instrument." British government spokesman said London has submitted "a series of confidential technical n-papers" with its thoughts on dispute. Technical "n-papers" are documents used in negotiations that do t represent a formal position. But EU Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva refused to call papers an official written proposal.

"re are papers for w, until we have looked at m in detail, I will t characterise m beyond being papers," she told reporters in Brussels.

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Juncker said Brussels h received m late Wednesday and that he h t h a chance to re m through. UK papers are likely to be on nda when UK Brexit Minister Stephen Barclay meets EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels on Friday.

" prime minister returned from talks with President Juncker in Luxembourg on Monday with assurances that negotiations will intensify," Barclay said on a visit to Mrid.

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Brexit nda in UN General Assembly

A European source said Brexit timetable will also be discussed at a meeting between Johnson and Juncker on margins of UN General Assembly in New York next week. Johnson may be given yet ar heache when UK Supreme Court rules next week on wher his contentious five-week suspension of parliament was unlawful. We "kw that this case must be resolved as quickly as possible and we hope to be able to publish our decision early next week," Supreme Court President Brenda Hale said. A decision against Johnson could complicate his attempts to ram any deal that he does clinch with Brussels through parliament once its returns on October 14.

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