Farewell frictionless trade in Ireland as another promise ditched
Quote:
Boris Johnson warns of return to Irish customs checks
Boris Johnson said on Tuesday he is planning for a return to customs checks on the island of Ireland as the prime minister prepares to offer a last-minute Brexit proposal to a deeply sceptical Brussels.
Ahead of his keynote speech to the Conservative party conference in Manchester on Wednesday, Mr Johnson insisted in media interviews that a customs frontier between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic would have to become a reality after Brexit and that the UK as “a sovereign united country must have a single customs territory”.
Mr Johnson’s words will intensify fears across the EU that less than a month from the UK’s scheduled departure from the bloc, Britain is ditching promises made by his predecessor Theresa May to strive for frictionless trade across the Irish border.
|
https://www.ft.com/content/488cd226-...3-db5a370481bc