But senior UK officials remain confident that Northern Ireland will not prove an insurmountable sticking point at the next EU council in December. Simon Coveney, the Irish foreign minister, said an enhanced financial offer was not enough on its own to secure the UK the trade talks it is seeking. He claimed there was “a lot of solidarity” among the EU27 for Ireland’s position that Northern Ireland must retain the regulatory framework of the single market and customs union in order to avoid creating a hard border. But MPs fighting against a hard Brexit warned that neither side had come up with a solution that could prevent a hard border if the UK insists on leaving the customs union and single market. | Michelle O’Neill Read more“It is therefore in Boris’s hands, and those of his fellow ministers, to ensure there is no need for a hard border.

Source: The Guardian November 21, 2017 18:51 UTC