Just what is the backstop?

Words and photo by Richie Hancox

Northern Ireland and the Irish backstop have become the sticking point in the Government’s attempts to pass a withdrawal deal through the House of Commons. Ministers are opposing the deal due to the backstop, but what exactly is it?

It’s a failsafe solution for the European Union, should negotiations break down and an agreement to trade across the UK’s only land border with Europe not be reached. If the backstop is invoked, it means that Northern Ireland would stay within the customs and regulatory arrangements of the EU, to prevent a hard border.

After the Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998, all customs and border checks were removed from the Irish –UK border. The people of Ireland gained the freedom to travel across borders along with frictionless trade as both countries were members of the EU.

But both countries would be part of differing trade agreements after 2021. This causes the EU to want an insurance policy if trade agreements cannot be reached before the end of the next stage of detailed Brexit negotiations: hence the backstop.

Under the terms of the European withdrawal deal, negotiated by the Prime Minister, Northern Ireland and the UK will remain part of the EU’s regulatory and customs agreements for a limited period of time.

This time period has become the sticking point in the Prime Minister’s deal, as with no agreed time limit the backstop will be indefinite to prevent the re-emergence of a hard border between the two countries.

Tory Brexiteers argue that with an agreement in place around customs then it would be Brexit in name only and the UK will remain in the EU without a say in policy. Without their support, the Prime Minister will struggle to get her deal through Parliament and we will crash out with no deal.

Deal or no Deal is the question.