Irish backstop

The Irish backstop was a plan created to solve a big problem after Brexit. When the United Kingdom decided to leave the European Union, there was a worry about what would happen at the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. This border is very important because it is the only land border between an EU country and a non-EU country. To keep peace and avoid checks at this border, the Irish backstop was suggested.

The plan, also called the "Northern Ireland Protocol," was worked on by the May government and the European Commission in late 2017 and finished in November 2018. If this plan had been used, Northern Ireland would stay part of some EU rules about trade and goods. This would help make sure there were no checks or delays at the Irish border. The whole UK would also share the same rules for trade with the EU until a better solution could be found.

Many people had different feelings about this plan. The Irish government and Northern Irish nationalists liked it, but Unionists did not because they did not want Northern Ireland to be different from the rest of the UK. In early 2019, the Westminster Parliament voted against this plan three times, and it was never put into use.

Later in October 2019, the Johnson government made a new plan. In this new plan, the whole UK left the EU’s rules about trade together, but Northern Ireland had special rules to keep the peace at the Irish border. This created what some people called a "border in the Irish Sea" instead. The new plan also let the Northern Ireland Assembly decide by a simple vote if they wanted to leave these special rules.

Context

Main article: Brexit and the Irish border

Political context

The Northern Irish border became very important when the United Kingdom decided to leave the European Union. This border is the only land connection between these two places. It is very long and has many crossings, making it hard to manage.

Before the UK left the EU, there were special agreements that made it easy for people to travel between the Republic of Ireland and the UK. This helped avoid checks at the border. However, when the UK started the process of leaving the EU in March 2017, it became necessary to plan how to handle the border after Brexit. The EU wanted to make sure that rules were followed and that people’s rights were protected during this change.

Economic context

The Republic of Ireland has a strong economy, partly because of its membership in the European Single Market. Many goods from Ireland travel through the UK to reach the rest of Europe. If there were no agreement between the UK and the EU after Brexit, extra checks and taxes might have been needed at borders. This could have made travel and trade slower and more difficult.

History of the backstop clause

Further information: Brexit negotiations

Before the Brexit vote in 2016, leaders in Ireland were worried about what might happen to their open border with Northern Ireland. They told other European Union countries that keeping the border open was very important for peace, not just for trade. The leader of the United Kingdom, Theresa May, promised there would be no return to old border rules.

In 2017, European Union leaders said it was the United Kingdom's job to find a way to keep the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland open after Brexit. They wanted a special solution just for this border, not one that would apply to all EU countries. Later that year, talks led to a plan called the "backstop." This plan said that if no other solution could be found, Northern Ireland would need to follow some of the same rules as the EU to avoid putting up border checks. The United Kingdom also promised there would be no new checks on goods moving from Northern Ireland to the rest of the UK. However, this plan was later rejected by some members of the UK government.

Backstop within November 2018 withdrawal draft

On 14 November 2018, after a long meeting, Prime Minister May announced that her team agreed on a plan with the EU. That day, the government shared an explanation about the plan to leave the European Union. They said talks about the future relationship between the UK and EU were still happening and that the official agreement would not be signed until there was also an agreement on the future relationship.

The plan had a special rule for Northern Ireland to make sure there would not be checks or barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the EU. This was to help keep peace and cooperation since 1998. The plan said Northern Ireland would follow some of the EU’s rules until a better way could be found. Also, the UK and the EU would act like one area for trade until they agreed on a new way to avoid checks between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

The plan was meant to be a temporary fix while new technology was being developed. But later, the UK Parliament did not approve the plan three times. In July 2019, Boris Johnson became Prime Minister and said the UK would not agree unless this special rule was removed, but the EU said they would not do that.

Reaction

The Irish government really wanted this plan to work.

But many people and groups had different ideas. Some, like the Democratic Unionist Party, thought it would change Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom. Others, such as Sinn Féin, supported the plan. There were many talks and votes in the UK parliament about whether to keep or change this plan.

Leaders from both sides kept discussing ways to solve the problems, but finding a solution that everyone liked proved difficult.

Replacement in new withdrawal agreement

Further information: Brexit and the Irish border § 2019 renegotiation: New Protocol

On 10 October 2019, Johnson and Leo Varadkar had positive talks that led to more negotiations. A week later, Johnson and Jean-Claude Juncker announced they had agreed (waiting for approval) on a new Withdrawal Agreement. This new agreement replaced the backstop with a new protocol for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.