FROM THE IRISH SEA BORDER BETWEEN BRITAIN AND IRELAND

WHISPERS FROM WESTMINSTER say that the UK Government has agreed with the European Union, and the Irish Republic, that Northern Ireland will now be officially known as Northern Ireland Protocol following the redrawing of its economic borders after Brexit.

The special treatment for Northern Ireland (the Protocol) which formed part of the UK’s departure from the EU leaves Northern Ireland economically within the jurisdiction of the European Union, alongside the Irish Republic, while still nominally part of the UK. British goods bound for the EU cannot enter Northern Ireland without complying with EU standards and rules.

“It was felt that this new situation needed formal recognition as many in political parties like the Traditional Unionist Voice and the Democratic Unionist Party, and the Loyalist paramilitary archipelago, are having great difficulty coming to terms with the new reality,” says Irish EU official Patrick Pierce. “This should focus minds.”