Boris Johnson has signalled that he will make a last-ditch U-turn on his plans for the Irish border, setting up 48 hours of intense negotiations that will make or break a Brexit deal. Britain’s exit from the EU – taking Northern Ireland with it – risks a return to a hard or policed border. Under the plan, Northern Ireland would leave the EU customs union but the UK would agree to enforce the bloc’s customs rules and tariffs on goods moving from Britain to Northern Ireland. The ERG has around 30 MPs in its group who consistently blocked May’s Brexit deal and are seen as a vital cohort to win over for Johnson to succeed. “Unfortunately we are still in a situation in which the UK has not come forward with a workable realistic proposal.”Q&A What is a customs union?

Source: The Guardian October 11, 2019 08:08 UTC