The UK has agreed that the “backstop” guarantee to avoid a hard Irish Border should be included in the draft Brexit treaty and that it will apply unless another solution is found in negotiations. EU and UK negotiators have agreed to include new text in the draft withdrawal agreement that ties the parties to the “backstop” agreement reached in December. That agreement between the EU and the UK stated that, in the absence of another solution for the Border, Northern Ireland would effectively remain within the EU customs union. Both sides, he said, remained committed to the December political agreement that guarantees under the default “backstop” the avoidance of a hard Border. The “protocol” covering the Irish Border issues within the withdrawal agreement is a mix of all three colours, reflecting the areas that are still under negotiation around the Irish question.

Source: The Irish Times March 19, 2018 12:02 UTC