A mixed bag…
The British Government today presented MPs in the House of Commons with its formal policy paper on Britain’s plan for exiting the European Union.
It comes just a day after the parliament resoundingly voted to give Prime Minister Theresa May the power to trigger Article 50.
The White Paper also outlines the UK’s plans for the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, or rather their lack of them so far.
The report states that: “When the UK leaves the EU we aim to have as seamless and frictionless a border as possible between Northern Ireland and Ireland.” Although the use of words such as “aim” and “as possible” do not exactly fill you with confidence over the British government’s ability to come up with a workable plan on the issue.
It also states that it will do all this “while protecting the integrity of the UK’s immigration system”. Although there is no explanation about how this will be done.
On the issue of Ireland and the common travel area with the UK, the paper notes that Ireland’s economy is deeply linked with the UK’s and vice versa. The report vows to “develop and strengthen” those ties even further after Brexit.
“Both the UK and Irish governments have set out their desire to protect this reciprocal treatment of each other’s nationals once the UK has left the EU. In particular, in recognition of their importance in the Belfast Agreement, the people of Northern Ireland will continue to be able to identify themselves as British or Irish, or both, and to hold citizenship accordingly,” the white paper says.
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