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<p>The agreed Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, in the Withdrawal Agreement, guarantees
that even in the unlikely event that the UK’s future relationship with the EU is not
in place by the end of the Implementation Period, there will be no hard border between
Northern Ireland and Ireland.</p><p>The Prime Minister was always clear that there
could be no customs border down the Irish Sea, which would see a division of the customs
territory of the UK. As a result, the UK proposed a UK-wide customs arrangement, which
has been secured in the Withdrawal Agreement. In order for the UK-wide customs arrangement
to function, it requires the UK to align with the relevant aspects of the Common Commercial
Policy. In this scenario, the UK would be able to negotiate, ratify and sign trade
deals, and to bring into effect those elements that do not affect the Protocol - just
as the government’s technical paper on this set out in June this year. Both sides
have been clear that the backstop is an insurance policy which we do not expect to
use, and if needed, is explicitly temporary.</p><p> </p>
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