THE IRISH ISSUE

Both the Irish government and Sinn Fein insisted that there must be no barriers between the North and the Republic. Ministers promised not to impose any ‘physical infrastructure’ – meaning border checks and controls and even cameras. To reassure the DUP, Mrs May offered a series of assurances. Her six commitments included ‘fully protect and maintaining’ Northern Ireland’s position within the UK’s single market, no new borders between the province and Great Britain, and an assurance Northern Ireland would leave the customs union and single market.

Ireland’s demand that the province stay in the customs union and single market has been dismissed, which will reassure the If the two sides fail to reach an agreement on what to do about the border, the UK agrees to maintain ‘full alignment’ with the rules of the single market and customs union which form part of the Good Friday Agreement. To some Brexiteers, this could be the poison pill which forces Northern Ireland – and the rest of the UK - to stay within the EU’s orbit.

Mrs May has gone out of her way to ensure Northern Ireland isn’t a road block for the rest of the talks. But it’s clear that what yesterday’s document calls ‘significant and unique challenges’ remain unresolved. And if talks collapse, would ministers really keep us tied to Brussels for ever?

Deal-makers: They leave together after sealing agreement IT WAS perhaps the most difficult part of the talks – how to square Brexit with the Irish peace process after the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) vetoed a proposed solution on Monday: DUP and...