MPs win bid to enshrine Theresa May's pledge against 'checks and controls' on Irish border after Brexit

Northern Ireland border has proved to be a major stumbling block in Brexit talks amid warnings that infrastructure could lead to a return to violence

MPs have won a concession from the government over the future of the Northern Irish border, ensuring there will be no physical "checks and controls" after Brexit.

In a dramatic day of votes on Theresa May's flagship Brexit bill, a bid to give teeth to the prime minister's promise of "no physical infrastructure" on the border was waved through successfully without a vote.

The Northern Ireland border has proved to be a major stumbling block in Brexit talks, amid warnings that checkpoints and cameras could lead to a return to violence.

The prime minister has previously said she could never allow a hard border on the island of Ireland, but it has proved a tricky balancing act as her DUP allies will not accept any form of customs arrangement that would set Northern Ireland apart from the rest of the UK.

The Lords amendment, tabled by former Tory chairman Chris Patten, compels the government to act in a way that is compatible with the Good Friday Agreement, which brought an end to the Troubles.

Cabinet secretary David Lidington said the government agreed with the "spirit" of the amendment, which is effectively "a statement of government policy" and said ministers would allow it to pass with a few tweaks to the legal language.

Speaking in the Lords last month, Lord Patten said: “Two of the first murders in the Troubles were of customs officers...It would be shameful if we did anything to make that more likely - it would be a stain on our history."

Taking aim at Brexiteers who accuse the Lords of playing with fire over Brexit, he said: “I'll tell you what playing with fire is - blundering into Northern Ireland with a policy which is clueless and deluded with a can of petrol and a box of matches in the other hand.”

Welcoming the move, a Labour spokesperson told The Independent: "Labour has repeatedly emphasised that Brexit cannot lead to a hard border in Northern Ireland or any disruption to the North-South cooperation guaranteed by the Good Friday Agreement.

Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines

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Brexit: 10 of the most ridiculous headlines

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• 1/10The Sun, March 9 2016 

  This wholly false headline merited the first time that IPSO (the press regulator) had to make a ruling under clause 1 of the revised Editor's Code of Practice. Clause 1 makes specific reference to newspapers printing "headlines not supported by the text"

• 2/10Daily Mail, November 4 2016 

  In perhaps the most notorious front page of the past few years, the Mail derides the High Court judges who ruled that parliament must have a vote on whether to trigger article 50 and start the Brexit process

• 3/10Daily Express, November 4 2016 

  In the Express' take on the same story, they manage to incorporate the Union Jack, allude to First World War propaganda, invoke memories of Churchill and, of course, state "Brexit means Brexit"

• 4/10The Sun, March 29 2017 

  The Sun marked the day on which Mrs May triggered article 50 by projecting a huge and terrible pun on to the Cliffs of Dover

• 5/10The Sun, April 4 2017 

  Referencing their notorious eurosceptic headline from 1990 (See: Up Yours Delors), the Sun stokes the flames of the brief Gibraltar dispute, a dispute in which Spain, the supposed aggressors, only joined to note that there was "no need for it"

• 6/10Daily Mail, April 19 2017 

  This headline followed Mrs May's snap election announcement, which gave the Mail hope that dissenting opinions on Brexit would disappear

• 7/10Daily Mail, December 14 2017 

  In recent months, the Mail has often forgone catchy headlines in favour of rambling rants, this is an early example aimed at Tory Brexit rebels

• 8/10Daily Mail, January 31 2018 

  This headline (?) takes aim at the Lords over their repeated amendments to the EU Withdrawal Bill

• 9/10The Sun, June 12 2018 

  On the day that the EU Withdrawal Bill is to be debated in the Commons, the Sun offers two choices to MPs, desperately including all conceivable imagery that might make Brits feel patriotic, which apparently includes the Loch Ness Monster

• 10/10Daily Express, June 12 2018 

  On the same day, the Express lets MPs know what the consequences of the vote may be

 

 

"The amendment passed in the Lords and accepted today by the government states that there can be no physical infrastructure introduced between Northern Ireland and the Republic following exit day, and that nothing in the act can diminish full North-South cooperation."

Earlier, the government managed to head off a major defeat on the EU (Withdrawal) Bill by offering a last-minute concession to Tory rebels that would give parliament a bigger say on the final deal.