I’ve been asking officials and ministers for the prime minister’s cunning plan to solve the seemingly impossible Brexit puzzle – of proving to her Brexiters that the Northern Ireland backstop plan would be temporary while avoiding any specified fixed termination date (because a backstop with a fixed termination date cannot, by definition, be a backstop; to mix metaphors, it would be a cliff edge).
Here is what I’ve been told: ‘The backstop cannot be limited by a fixed date’ said a member of the government (telling you and me what the EU insists upon, but what Tory Brexiter MPs see as heresy). ‘But it might be capable of limitation by reference to a formula or a test to establish redundancy.’
Hmmm. A formula. Intriguing.
It all sounds plausible, but establishing a credible test that would prove the backstop had outlived its utility will not be easy.
Just to remind you, the backstop is the sine qua non of a Brexit Withdrawal Agreement because both the UK and the EU have agreed that this country’s departure from the EU must not transform the current soft, permeable, open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic into a stickier or crunchier border (because of the risk that border checks would undermine the young foundations of peace in the region).
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in