Theresa May is battling to keep Brexit on track after one of her toughest weeks since the process began.
After a gruelling two days, challenges are coming from all different sides: not only must she face Prime Minister’s Questions today, she is also under increasing pressure from Ireland and Europe over key aspects of border arrangements – while David Davis has been subjected to interrogation from the Brexit select committee.
The Democratic Unionists – who prop up the Tories in Parliament - have insisted they will not sign up to a proposal for Northern Ireland to remain in “regulatory alignment” with the Republic once Britain has left the EU.
However, the Irish government has warned that unless the UK goes ahead with the plan there could be no question of the Brexit negotiations moving on to the second phase – including trade talks – before the end of the year.
Brexit Secretary David Davis sought to reassure the DUP that retaining common rules with the Republic on issues such as food safety standards and animal welfare would not effectively mean the creation of a new “border in the Irish Sea” between the North and rest of UK.
In the Commons on Tuesday, he pointedly did not rule out the idea that regulations which continued to apply in Northern Ireland could be retained across the whole of the UK.
“Every approach we take will treat the whole of the UK as a single constitutional entity and a single economic entity,” he said.
However the move threatened to put him on a collision course with hardline Tory Brexiteers who argue that escaping EU rules and regulations is one of the key benefits of leaving.
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