Britain | The aftermath of Brexit

The Northern Ireland protocol could soon spark a new row between Britain and Europe

Boris Johnson prepares to renege on the Brexit treaty

MOST OF THE excitement over Northern Ireland’s assembly election on May 5th focused on Sinn Féin becoming the largest party, and on the prospects of a united Ireland. But talk of reunification is speculative. The far more pressing concern is the Northern Ireland protocol, part of the Brexit withdrawal treaty that keeps the province (but not Great Britain) in the EU’s single market for goods, thereby creating a customs border in the Irish Sea.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Protocol harm”

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