London: Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Friday he was "cautiously optimistic" about striking a Brexit deal ahead of his first face-to-face talks with EU chiefs next week. Johnson is due to meet European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier in Luxembourg on Monday. His upbeat tone on striking a divorce deal with the EU in time for Britain's scheduled October 31 departure date is in marked contrast with the mood music from Brussels. The British pound gained one per cent against the dollar in Friday trading on speculation that the two sides were edging closer to a compromise over the contentious Irish
border issue.

Johnson said the public deserved to know the latest in the Brexit talks, as he restated his insistence that Britain must leave the EU on October 31, with or without a withdrawal agreement. "We're working incredibly hard to get a deal," Johnson said during a visit to Rotherham in northern England. "There is the rough shape of a deal to be done."