Damien

I believe it’s essentially a border in the Irish Sea, NI regulatory alignment with the EU and NI can opt out with a majority of their assembly. The big concession from the EU is essentially a way out of the backstop, a 'backstop' has been moved to the Irish Sea and renamed to compress a set of policies to avoid a hard border (VAT arrangements and regulations) rather than a hard 'stay in the customs union'. At least I think that's what's different.

But the way out of the backstop is a vote every four years, the first being four years from now, in the N.I assembly rather than the U.K Government as a whole. Significant because it's unlikely N.I will have a majority for that. The DUP wanted the power to Veto it themselves which hasn't been granted and therefore we don't know if they'll back this deal.