•David

The EU has proposed that to avoid a hard Ireland/NI border upon Brexit, Northern Ireland remain in the EU customs union.

An important concern is that a return to a hard border would undermine the Good Friday Agreement and potentially lead to renewed loyalist/republican conflict.

And a hard Ireland/NI border would be a terible blow to tourism in both countries.

However, UK PM Theresa May has rejected this proposal out of hand. Some Brexiteers consider that NI remaining in the EU customs union would be a de facto annexation of NI by the EU, effectively making the entire Island of Ireland part of the EU and shifting the EU/UK border into the Irish Sea.

This is a particularly tricky issue for Ms. May, as her government needs the support of the NI DUP - staunch Remainers and Loyalists - to stay in power.

EU and UK leaders will meet again in Brussels in late March.

Stay tuned.