Mubasher: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will meet European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker next Monday for the first time since taking office, in a bid to resolve the Brexit stalemate, the Guardian reported.

The first face-to-face meeting will be held in Luxembourg, at what was described by the commission spokeswoman as a “neutral location,” but she did not disclose the exact place.

President Juncker will meet Premier Johnson for a “working lunch,” the spokeswoman told the Guardian.

After that, Johnson will hold talks with Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel.

The meeting location has been chosen by “common accord,” while it would allow Juncker thereafter to head for Strasbourg, where the European parliament will be meeting next week.

Johnson has been pushing for renegotiating the Withdrawal Agreement, which was reached by his predecessor Theresa May, ahead of the 31 October deadline when the UK will be leaving the EU.

On a side note, the Times reported that the UK’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the Conservatives' parliamentary ally, was willing to accept Northern Ireland abiding by some European Union (EU) rules after departure as part of a deal to replace the Irish backstop, which has been the sticking point in the prolonged Brexit negotiations.

“We are keen to see a sensible deal but not one that divides the internal market of the UK,” the DUP’s leader Arlene Foster said via Twitter.

“We will not support any arrangements that create a barrier to East West trade,” she added.

By 11:31 am GMT, the GBP/USD pair surged by 0.96% to $1.2453, while the EUR/GBP pair dropped by 0.64% to GBP 0.8913.