LONDON: Prime Minister Boris Johnson repeated on Monday that Britain must leave the EU on Oct 31, as divorce talks resumed in Brussels in a pivotal week that could define how and when Brexit finally happens.

In an elaborate ceremony in parliament in London, Queen Elizabeth II set out Johnson’s legislative programme for the coming year, with leaving the EU top of the agenda.

“My government’s priority has always been to secure the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union on Oct 31,” she said in a speech to robed peers from a gilded throne in the upper House of Lords.

“My government intends to work towards a new partnership with the European Union, based on free trade and friendly cooperation.” But this depends on the outcome of closed-door discussions in Brussels.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2019