Bizarrely, it’s not easy to delay Brexit timetable

In a rare show of unanimity, the Irish government, the DUP and Sinn Féin all opposed last week’s Westminster initiative to bridge the chasm in support for the UK prime minister’s Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.

The idea was that Stormont would be given a say in key aspects of the backstop arrangement contained in the, as yet un-agreed agreement. The backstop is the component of the Withdrawal Agreement that comes into force in the event that the future relationship between the EU and the UK is not sufficiently close as to ensure there is no necessity for a hard border to police the movement of goods between both jurisdictions on the island of Ireland.