The most eloquent response to Monday’s agreement on a Brexit transition deal was the silence of the Brexiteers on Theresa May’s backbenches. She said no British prime minister could agree to the text, which envisaged a customs border in the Irish Sea. Contrary to some energetic spinning from Dublin and Brussels ahead of Monday’s agreement, the EU has made a tactical retreat on the Border. Brussels knew failure to secure a deal on transition this week risked generating massive political pressure from Brexiteers for the prime minister to walk away from the negotiations. Monday’s agreement has not closed off any options for resolving the Border but it has not nailed down the backstop any more firmly than in December.

Source: The Irish Times March 19, 2018 19:30 UTC