This week the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson finally managed to secure a last-minute deal with the European Union regarding the UK’s withdrawal from the bloc.
Boris Johnson’s deal is in fact more of a revision of Theresa May’s and much of its basis remains the same. The only relevant changes have to do with Northern Ireland, which was the main problem during the negotiations. To protect the peace and unity on the island of Ireland, Johnson agreed to “move” the customs border, so that Northern Ireland will remain aligned with EU regulations, and goods will have to undergo a customs check within the United Kingdom, between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
As a result, Northern Ireland will have a different status than the rest of the kingdom. This kind of division is precisely what Theresa May tried to avoid with the Irish backstop plan. Hardly surprising, the DUP - who are allies to Johnson’s party in Parliament - have declined to support the new deal.
Brexit is far from settled, however. Today Boris Johnson will speak before Parliament in an attempt to convince MPs to support his deal. It’s worth noting that Johnson has lost every single vote he’s held so far as Prime Minister.
The DUP opposes the bill, as does the opposition Labour Party. Moreover, Johnson himself expelled 21 Tories for backing the Benn act in September, so he likely won’t be able to count on their support either. If the deal does not get 320 votes of approval tomorrow, more Brexit chaos will ensue.
