Why Boris Johnson is really backtracking on his Brexit deal

The UK is arguing that it should be let off a key commitment over Northern Ireland, Jon Stone writes

(EPA)

The Brexit withdrawal agreement was signed in January, yet is still being implemented by both sides. But there’s a problem: the UK and EU don’t agree about what it means.

The main dispute comes down to the question of Northern Ireland and its relationship with the rest of the UK. You may recall that this was a big deal in talks last year.

The EU says the UK has signed up to impose a type of customs control on goods moving between Northern Ireland and Great Britain called an “exit summary declaration”.