Advertisement

Irish backstop: What is the divisive Brexit backstop that Theresa May blamed for vote delay?

Theresa May today blamed division over the contentious Irish backstop for delaying the Parliament vote on the Brexit deal.

Mrs May is now expected to seek clarity from the European Union over how Britain could escape from being trapped indefinitely in a Northern Ireland backstop.

This is the rule that either the Province or the whole of the UK must obey EU rules until Brussels agrees that a hard border with Ireland is not a prospect.

The DUP, which props up Mrs May's Government, has displayed fierce opposition to the backstop, while Boris Johnson has insisted the Withdrawal Agreement does not need to include it.

Below, the Standard answers some key questions on the backstop within Mrs May’s deal.

What was planned for the Irish border?

A backstop solution aims to prevent the establishment of a hard border on the island after Brexit.

It would mean some regulations relating to Northern Ireland remain aligned with the rest of the EU.

It is an insurance policy if no answer can be found through a permanent trade deal after a transitional period from next March but unionists fear it could create regulatory disparity between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

The backstop has been a focus of discontent with Theresa May's draft Withdrawal Agreement with Europe.

Following the delay to the Commons vote, its future is uncertain.

What exactly does the backstop propose?

Once the Brexit transition period ends in December 2020, the EU and the UK have agreed the backstop would apply until such a time as a subsequent agreement is in place.

This would create a single EU-UK customs territory avoiding the need for tariffs, quotas or checks on rules of origin between the EU and the UK.

Northern Irish businesses would not face restrictions when placing products on the EU's Single Market.

What has been the Irish Government's reaction to the decision to defer a vote?

Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said it is not possible to renegotiate the backstop without reopening all aspects of the draft withdrawal treaty.

Dublin is keen to ensure a free-flowing border to protect the peace process and north-south trade links.

What has been the DUP's reaction?

Deputy leader Nigel Dodds said the vote delay was a "humiliation" Mrs May had brought on herself while Arlene Foster said the Prime Minister must get rid of the backstop.

The DUP is concerned remaining aligned to Europe would create a regulatory divergence between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, requiring extra checks on east-west trade and threatening the integrity of the UK as a whole.

Other opposition to the backstop

On Sunday, staunch Brexiteer Boris Johnson said the EU would use the backstop to "blackmail" the UK.

He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: “The real problem with the backstop arrangement, it gives the power to Brussels and all the other EU states effectively to blackmail us and to get what they want out of the future trade negotiations. It is a diabolical negotiating position to be in.”

Mr Johnson insisted that there could be a withdrawal agreement without the Irish backstop.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said his Brexit deal would not include a backstop and that the DUP clearly disliked it "for very good and sensible reasons".

What have Remain voices in Northern Ireland said about the backstop?

Four pro-Remain parties in Northern Ireland including Sinn Fein and the nationalist SDLP have declared it should be "banked" rather than discarded to protect the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

They said a no-deal Brexit would be "catastrophic".

What happens now?

A meeting of European leaders is planned for later this week and they will be demanding answers from Mrs May, with Europe showing no willingness to reopen months of delicate negotiations.

The Prime Minister said the risk of an accidental no agreement increased the longer it took to pass a deal.