Government publishes formal proposal for Northern Ireland backstop with ‘expected’ end-date of December 2021
Both sides of Theresa May’s warring cabinet claimed victory on Thursday after a day of drama in Westminster, as she finally published the UK’s plan for a customs backstop to avoid a hard border in Northern Ireland.
The contentious proposal was agreed after two face-to-face confrontations between the prime minister and her disgruntled Brexit secretary David Davis, who would only sign it off after she inserted a specific end date.
