The border, they say, will be “frictionless”. No physical checkpoints, no number plate checks, instead special customs arrangements to keep trade flowing across the Irish border after Brexit. The Government’s paper calls for a new “customs partnership” with no tariff implications.
In a separate development on Northern Ireland’s strict abortion rules – an appeal court has ruled that it should be left to the Stormont Assembly to decide – not judges.
Talks to restore power sharing in Northern Ireland have been given an extension till Monday – after the parties missed today’s deadline to reach an agreement.
Gary Gibbon
Yesterday No 10 accidentally mis-briefed that the DUP deal was contingent on Stormont power-sharing getting up and running. It set a lot of hares running, briefly, before the correction was rung through. It was a particularly lively moment because DUP insiders believe that the Northern Ireland office had, at the end of last week, been…
Gary Gibbon
When the Tory/DUP deal is agreed between Arlene Foster and Theresa May, don’t expect a publication like the Coalition Agreement in 2010.
In Northern Ireland voters could be forgiven for suffering election fatigue as they trudge to the polls for the seventh time – yes seventh time, in three years. But the parties claim the electorate are motivated by Brexit and the collapse of Stormont. And also motivated by the chance that Sinn Fein – even though…
It’s a classic movie formula. Put two men who hate each other on a tense car journey , forced to work together; then watch as they begrudgingly come to develop a mutual respect. A new film called ‘The Journey’ does just this, but casts Northern Ireland’s deeply opposed political leaders as the central characters.
Gary Gibbon
Some in the Edinburgh administration detect a division in the May team on when a second referendum might have to be granted.
From the rawness of today’s violence to the scar tissue of yesterday’s. The IRA gunman turned statesman Martin McGuiness was laid to rest this afternoon.
After a major political shock in Northern Ireland’s assembly elections, fraught negotiations are under way to form an administration.
Gary Gibbon on the positions of the parties in Stormont and the British Government.
They’ve lost the election – but Sinn Fein have hailed last night’s result as a “watershed moment” in Northern Ireland politics. The republicans came within one seat of the Democratic Unionist Party and have – for the first time – prevented the unionists having a majority at Stormont. Under the rules of the Northern Ireland…
Donald Trump has drawn outrage across the world, including Britain, after he condoned waterboarding and torture. But tonight this programme can reveal allegations that warterboarding and electric shock torture were used by the Parachute Regiment against prisoners in Northern Ireland in the 1970s.
Gary Gibbon
Martin McGuinness’ decision to stand down from the Northern Ireland Assembly robs the power-sharing institutions of one of their most important and unlikely defenders.
Fresh elections will be held in Northern Ireland after the power-sharing agreement collapsed.
