The UK government has announced that a special group has been established to look at alternatives to the proposed backstop plan to avoid a hard Irish Border after Brexit. So Theresa May has established a group – “The Alternative Arrangements Working Group” – to examine what alternatives exist to a hard Irish Border. They are likely to examine whether a combination of advanced customs processes and technology could be used to avoid a hard Irish Border after Brexit. Trade experts say that border checks can be reduced by using such methods, but by no means eliminated. UK home secretary Sajid Javid said over the weekend that he had been assured by the UK Border Force, the body which controls Britain’s borders ( though has no role in the Irish Border) that alternative arrangements did, indeed exist.

Source: The Irish Times February 04, 2019 14:03 UTC