Thread by @Stone_SkyNews

So the wheels have hit tarmac on one of the key #brexit conundrums:
Everyone is working so hard to find a deal that avoids a hard border in Ireland.. but if they fail, and there is ‘no deal’, then by default, there is a hard border. The @EU_Commission finally spelt that out today

Here is what EU Commission Spokesman @MargSchinas said on the issue - 🎥

The spokesman is drawing the logical conclusion to the argument of those proposing that the #Brexit deal *must* include a ‘backstop’ to avoid a hard border: that if there if there is ‘no deal’, then a hard Irish border is unavoidable.

In short, if there is no deal then a border must be introduced.
*But* the Irish (+EU HQ until now) *and* the British have always said they would never impose a hard border because of their commitment to the Good Friday peace agreement.

The Irish Deputy PM @simoncoveney told @SkyNews today that the Irish are not planning for a hard border in their ‘no deal’ planning. A direct contradiction of what @MargSchinas said? Apparently not.

The Irish PM @campaignforleo seems to have inferred (correct me if I am wrong) that a UK/Irish bilateral deal may be unavoidably necessary to avoid a hard border if there is no deal.

To which Brexiteers naturally say: ‘great - if you need to do a deal to prevent a hard border then do a bilateral one and remove the backstop from the Withdrawl Agreement. Or if you say you will never impose a hard border anyway then why are we having this argument?’

But wouldn’t a bilateral deal also need to include a ‘backstop’ (closely aligning 🇬🇧 to 🇪🇺) if no other arrangement could be found?

It seems to me that this could never be resolved with a purely bilateral deal between 🇬🇧 and 🇨🇮 anyway because the border in question would be an external 🇪🇺 border.

And a reminder why all this border stuff is an issue - because, simply, if the UK has separate trading and customs regulations & standards from the EU (say to meet those necessary for a trade deal with US) then checks become necessary on all borders between UK and EU.

But up against that is the rigid commitment in the Good Friday agreement not ever to have a hard border on the island of Ireland.

The Irish government just released this statement which acknowledges “We are under no illusions about how challenging that [maintaining no border under a ‘no deal’] would be.”