The Irish border questions
Why it’s a big issue for Brexit
Northern Ireland didn’t come up much during Britain’s EU referendum campaign – but its future has proved one of the biggest roadblocks in the Brexit negotiations.
Almost a year on from triggering Article 50, questions are being raised about the North’s relationship with Ireland, the EU and the rest of the UK.
Raising the stakes, some of the proposed solutions threaten the Good Friday Agreement, which brought decades of sectarian violence to an end.
And time is running out.
For although Britain won’t leave the EU until March 2019, the final deal needs to be struck by autumn to give it time to be approved by the European Parliament.
Here we answer some of the key questions...
Why would a hard border threaten the Good Friday agreement?
The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 removed physical barriers and borders between Northern Ireland and the Republic.
It wasn’t a problem then because we and the UK were members of the EU.
Goods and people could move freely between the two countries without the need for checkpoints.
But post-brexit, an open border between an EU and non-eu country opens a can of worms.
No border would leave a hole in the UK’S customs arrangements, not to mention making it possible for people to cross into the UK without being noticed.
But any increase in infrastructure on the border could put peace at risk.
What does the British Government want?
Theresa May has committed to avoiding a hard border .
And the agreement reached with Brussels in December says the UK will “ensure that no new regulatory barriers develop between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom”.
But it remains unclear how this can be practically possible. Boris Johnson faced ridicule this week for suggesting the system could be as easy as taking the congestion charge from commuters travelling into Central London.
But this could give an idea of what kind of border is being considered. He argues only 5% of goods crossing into the UK from the EU face physical checks – so the need for checkpoints could be reduced by electronic checks. What does the EU want?
The draft treaty sets out the “fallback” position if nobody has a better solution. It means no internal borders on the island and free movement of goods between Northern Ireland and the Republic.
But it would effectively mean Northern Ireland stays in the EU’S customs area, subject to EU regulations, overseen by the European Court of Justice.
And it would create a border with the rest of the UK, with goods subject to border checks when they cross the Irish Sea.
What do the Northern Ireland parties want to happen?
The Democratic Unionist Party opposes a hard border but also any solution that would put Northern Ireland out of step with the rest of the UK – an almost impossible position.
Sinn Fein wants Northern Ireland to be given “special status” within the EU.
It is opposed to new barriers to trade and different rules on agriculture and energy between the North and the South. It fears any such changes could have “implications for the peace process and Good Friday Agreement”. Sinn Fein’s position is broadly similar to the EU’S fallback proposal.
Are any other things making this more complicated?
Yes, Theresa May is relying on the DUP to prop up her Commons majority.
The DUP backed Brexit but a border in the Irish Sea is a red line for them – which pretty much makes it a red line for the PM, too. On top of this, Northern Ireland has had no functioning devolved government for 13 months. Creating solutions is more difficult when nobody is in charge.
Year the Good Friday Agreement removed border between Northern Ireland and the Republic