Singham: Ireland must ‘open up’ to plan B to backstop

In an article in The Irish Times, Shanker Singham, adviser on trade who chairs the technical panel of the non-governmental Alternative Arrangements Commission, argues that it is time for Ireland to consider a Plan B to the backstop.

Singham said his group had been in discussions with Downing Street about its alternative arrangements.

“…the game has changed completely in Westminster”

The commission would be publishing suggested changes to the withdrawal agreement and the political declaration, the non-binding road map setting out a future EU-UK trade deal, “in the course of the next week or so” that would add more detail to its proposed arrangements around the alternative to the backstop, he said.

“We are now in a world where the choice is alternative arrangements versus no-deal, not alternative arrangements versus backstop”

Mr. Singham said he could “sympathise” with Mr Varadkar and Mr Coveney if the choice around the UK’s exit was either the alternative arrangements or the backstop, but he added that “the game has changed completely in Westminster” with the election of Mr Johnson as prime minister.

“We are now in a world where the choice is alternative arrangements versus no-deal, not alternative arrangements versus backstop. In that world I think you would want to be talking,” he said.

You can read the article here:Ireland must ‘open up’ to plan B to backstop