The UK will be put under even greater pressure to offer up a vision of the future relationship that will deliver for the entire UK economy, but the inability of that model to ensure frictionless trade is likely to be exposed. The EU has said full regulatory alignment with Northern Ireland is the only viable option to prevent a "hard border" with the Republic of Ireland. Prime Minister Theresa May has effectively agreed to allowing the region to remain in the single market and customs union, The Guardian has reported. But she also wants to ensure that there are no "cliff-edges" on trade after Brexit. Should the UK leave the customs union, border checks would be "unavoidable", according to the EU's lead negotiator Michel Barnier.
The EU has said full regulatory alignment with Northern Ireland is the only viable option to prevent a "hard border" with the Republic of Ireland. Prime Minister Theresa May has effectively agreed to allowing the region to remain in the single market and customs union, The Guardian has reported. But she also wants to ensure that there are no "cliff-edges" on trade after Brexit. Should the UK leave the customs union, border checks would be "unavoidable", according to the EU's lead negotiator Michel Barnier.