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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/02/boris-johnson-unveils-brexit-plan-for-alternative-to-backstop
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| Boris Johnson unveils Brexit plan for alternative to backstop | Boris Johnson unveils Brexit plan for alternative to backstop |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Boris Johnson has laid out a five-point Brexit offer that would take Britain, including Northern Ireland, out of the customs union, and warned the EU27 there is “very little time” to do a deal. | Boris Johnson has laid out a five-point Brexit offer that would take Britain, including Northern Ireland, out of the customs union, and warned the EU27 there is “very little time” to do a deal. |
| In a letter to the European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, the prime minister said: “This government wants to get a deal, as I’m sure we all do. If we cannot reach one, it would represent a failure of statecraft for which we would all be responsible.” | In a letter to the European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, the prime minister said: “This government wants to get a deal, as I’m sure we all do. If we cannot reach one, it would represent a failure of statecraft for which we would all be responsible.” |
| The government’s five points include: | |
| • Respecting the Belfast/Good Friday agreement.• A commitment to longstanding areas of UK-Ireland collaboration.• Creating an all-island regulatory zone on the island of Ireland, covering all goods including agri-food.• Giving the Northern Ireland executive and assembly the opportunity to endorse the new regulatory arrangements before they enter into force.• Northern Ireland will be fully part of the UK customs territory, notthe EU customs union, after the end of the transition period. | |
| Johnson said the plan was a “fair and reasonable compromise”, and talked of a “broad landing zone, in which I believe a deal can begin to take shape”. | Johnson said the plan was a “fair and reasonable compromise”, and talked of a “broad landing zone, in which I believe a deal can begin to take shape”. |
| He added: “There is very little time … We need to get this done before the October European council.” | |
| As he suggested in his Conservative party conference speech on Wednesday, the plan involves Northern Ireland leaving the customs union at the end of transition, together with the rest of the United Kingdom. | |
| That would entail customs checks on the island of Ireland, which Johnson argues can be alleviated through alternative arrangements including electronic paperwork, and a “very small number” of physical checks, to take place at businesses’ premises. | |
| While the initial response from the EU27 has been frosty, Johnson does appear to have won the support of the Democratic Unionist party, which has been closely involved in discussions about the plan in recent days. | While the initial response from the EU27 has been frosty, Johnson does appear to have won the support of the Democratic Unionist party, which has been closely involved in discussions about the plan in recent days. |
| Ministers believe the DUP is the “canary in the coalmine”, whose objections to Theresa May’s deal helped to kill it with the pro-Brexit European Research Group (ERG). | Ministers believe the DUP is the “canary in the coalmine”, whose objections to Theresa May’s deal helped to kill it with the pro-Brexit European Research Group (ERG). |
| They hope the DUP’s approval will help to win over many of those Conservatives who rejected May’s deal. Steve Baker, the ERG chairman, tweeted that Johnson was a “hero” after his conference speech, apparently signalling his approval for the PM’s approach. | |
| A DUP spokesman said: “The offer provides a basis for the EU to continue in a serious and sustained engagement with the UK government without risk to the internal market of the United Kingdom. It will require changes to the draft withdrawal treaty and we welcome the fact that all sides now recognise that requirement in order to secure agreement.” | |
| The DUP claimed that the proposals would ensure Northern Ireland was out of the single market and customs union, although in reality Northern Ireland would maintain some regulatory alignment with Ireland until at least 2025. | |
| In an explanatory note published alongside Johnson’s letter to Juncker, the government proposes giving the Northern Ireland assembly and executive an “opportunity for democratic consent”, before the end of the transition period and again every four years, about whether the regulatory arrangements should continue. | |
| “If consent is withheld, will not enter into force or will lapse … after one year, and arrangements will default to existing rules,” the note says. | |
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