Brexit

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They had three years to do this..

Leaked plans by Boris Johnson to build “customs clearance zones” on either side of the Northern Irish border after Brexit has been rejected as a “non-starter” by Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister Simon Coveney. Irish outlet RTE reported on Monday evening that the United Kingdom government has proposed erecting customs posts on both sides of the border, where goods moving between the UK and the European Union would be checked. The customs posts – described as “customs clearance zones” in leaked documents seen by RTE – would be five to ten miles from the border, the report said. The UK reportedly submitted the suggestion to the EU in recent Brexit talks. With just weeks to go until the October 31 deadline, Brexit negotiations are at an impasse over the question of how to preserve the seamless border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after the UK leaves the EU. 

Ex-prime minister Theresa May signed up to an insurance policy known as the backstop, which if triggered would keep the UK in a customs union with the EU, while Northern Ireland would effectively remain in the single market too. However, Johnson wants to backstop to be scrapped, and ruled out any possibility of either Northern Ireland or the whole of the UK remaining in a customs union with the EU after Brexit. Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister Simon Coveney described “customs clearance zones” as a “non-starter” in a tweet on Monday evening, and called on the UK government to submit a “serious” proposal.

 Boris Johnson's leaked Brexit plan for Northern Ireland border checks rejected by the Irish as a 'non-starter'