“With US Vice President, Mike Pence, having issued a timely exhortation to the Republic and EU to respect U.K. sovereignty, it would be disappointing if any public representatives, who have resolutely resisted the Backstop and its insidious intent, were to now weaken to be amenable to an all-Ireland agri-food regime, with animal products arriving from GB being checked at any port on the island of Ireland.
“The follow through, of course, is no such checks at the NI/Ireland border, because ‘regulatory alignment’ would prevail. (Without regulatory alignment the EU would have border checks to protect the EU single market, so, such alignment inevitably flows from accepting a regulatory border at the Irish Sea.)
“That alignment will require and mean that it is the EU writ and not the U.K. writ which would run in NI in terms of agri-food. So, unlike the rest of the U.K., we would be subject to laws we didn’t make and cannot change (and subject to ECJ), with increasing divergence from GB becoming the order of the day and disbarment from any trade deal benefits on agri food aspects.
“If such can be done for animal products why not for all goods, will be the logical contention of Remainers. Thus, this is a a slippery slope to be avoided.”