Boris Johnson entertains Chilean children at the British Council in Santiago, on the latest leg of his tour

Theresa May will ask the European Union for a second Brexit transition period to run until 2023 to avoid a hard border in Ireland.

Britain will propose another transition covering customs and trade that will follow the period already agreed, scheduled to last until the end of 2020, The Times understands.

The prime minister’s new proposal has not yet been tabled in Brussels and faces opposition from EU negotiators and Brexit-supporting Conservatives. The transitional deal already agreed will last from next March to the end of 2020. Britain will ask for a customs and regulatory alignment implementation period from 2021 to at least 2023 to avoid the need for infrastructure or checks on the border.

The second transition period appears to be part of