As campaigning for next weeks’ European elections starts to heat up, it is interesting to note that in the major Brexit debates among squabbling British politicians, the issue of the Irish border rarely gets a mention.

Yet it remains the issue that has effectively stalled the whole Brexit process.

The reality is that without the issue of the Irish border, the UK would already have left

The UK government’s commitment in December 2017 to no hard border in Ireland took it down a road that led to the draft withdrawal agreement, and the controversial Irish backstop.

The reality is that without the issue of the Irish border, the UK would already have left, and would now be putting in place new trading relationships with the EU and others.

Even if there is a free trade agreement allowing trade in goods without tariffs between the UK and EU, there will still be a requirement for checks on the origin of goods crossing the border

Certain to take advantage of the current political impasse at the European election is the Brexit party led by Nigel Farage. His solution is for the UK to leave the EU now on world trade organisation (WTO) terms, in the belief that the EU27 will quickly realise the economic cost of Brexit, and offer the UK a comprehensive free trade agreement.

That might be true, but it still does not solve the Irish border question. Even if there is a free trade agreement allowing trade in goods without tariffs between the UK and EU, there will still be a requirement for checks on the origin of goods crossing the border.

That is to ensure that goods from a third country, which are subject to EU tariffs, are not making their way in. Those checks, even if they are done away from the actual border, will inevitably put cost onto local businesses trading into the EU (estimated at around 5%), and create some form of barrier on this island.

Fundamentally, if the UK continues to insist that it wants a trade policy independent from the EU, the Irish border remains the critical issue to resolve, even if it is hardly mentioned in the next week.

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