May’s ‘secret’ Brexit deal avoids Irish backstop

Theresa May has secured concessions from Brussels to keep the whole of Britain in a customs union in the aftermath of Brexit – avoiding a hard Irish border, The Sunday Times reports. The agreement would avoid the European Union’s “backstop” solution that would have treated Northern Ireland differently from the rest of Britain.It will also include an “exit clause” designed to convince Brexiteers that remaining in the customs union is only temporary, the newspaper said.The Irish border has proved the biggest obstacle to a deal, with both sides vowing not to reinstate a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland for fear of destabilising the peace agreement.Under the agreed deal, the EU accepts that regulatory checks on goods can be carried out in factories and shops rather than at the border, the Sunday Times said.The deal keeps open the possibility of Britain securing a future free trade agreement similar to the one signed between Canada and the EU in 2016. Preparations for ……