Boris Johnson explains to MPs his Brexit plan for Northern Ireland

Boris Johnson told the House of Commons that the “constructive and reasonable proposals show our seriousness of purpose”.

They did not deliver everything the UK wanted, he said, but were a compromise.

“This House voted to trigger Article 50 and has voted repeatedly to leave,” he said. “Yet it also voted three times against the previous Withdrawal Agreement and for repeated delay.

“And so, as I have emphasised time and again, there can be no path to a deal except by reopening the Withdrawal Agreement and replacing the so-called backstop.”

Mr Johson went on to say he had had “constructive calls” over the last 24 hours including with the President of the European Commission, Jean-Paul Juncker, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and the Irish Taoiseach Varadkar.

“The essence of our new proposal is a new protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland consisting of five elements.

“In the first place all our actions are based on our shared determination to sustain the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, the fundamental basis of governance in Northern Ireland, the protection of which is the highest priority of all.

“And from this follows the second principle — namely that we shall of course uphold all the longstanding areas of co-operation between the UK and our friends in Ireland including the rights of all those living in Northern Ireland, north/south co-operation and the Common Travel Area, which predates both the Good Friday Agreement and the European Union itself.

“Third, we propose the potential creation of a regulatory zone on the island of Ireland covering all goods, including agri-food.

“For as long as it exists, this zone would eliminate all regulatory checks for trade in goods between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

“But fourth, unlike the so-called backstop, such a regulatory zone would be sustained with the consent of the people of Northern Ireland, as expressed through the Assembly and Executive.”

Elaborating on the Stormont element, Mr Johnson said: “They will give their consent during the transition period as a condition for these arrangements entering into force.

“Thereafter, the assembly will vote again every four years — and if consent were withheld, these arrangements would then lapse after one year.

“Fifth, it has always been a point of principle for this government that at the end of the transition period, the UK should leave the EU customs union whole and entire, restoring sovereign control over our trade policy and opening the way for free trade deals with all our friends around the world.

“That is a fundamental point for us, Mr Speaker.”

Summarising his plan, the prime minister said: “So, under the proposals in this new protocol, Northern Ireland will be fully part of the UK customs territory not the EU customs union.

“But there will be no need for checks — or any infrastructure — at or near the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

“Indeed, I have already given a guarantee that the UK government will never conduct checks at the border and we believe that the EU should do the same, so there is absolute clarity on that point.

“Instead, under this new protocol, all customs checks between Northern Ireland and Ireland would take place either electronically or, in the small number of cases where physical checks would be necessary, they would happen at traders’ premises or other points in the supply chain.

“We have put forward a method for achieving this based on improving and simplifying existing rules, trusting certain traders and strengthening our co-operation with Ireland in a spirit of friendship and sensitivity to the particular circumstances.

“So while these proposals will mean changes from the situation that prevails today in Ireland and Northern Ireland, it is their driving purpose to minimise any disruption.

“And in order to support the transition further we propose a New Deal for Northern Ireland that will boost economic growth and competitiveness and set in train new infrastructure, particularly with a cross-border focus.£

Mr Johnson said: “Mr Speaker, the previous Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration would have permanently anchored the United Kingdom within the orbit of EU regulation and customs arrangements.

“And an indefinite so-called backstop provided a bridge to that vision of the future.

“This government has a different vision — basing our future relationship with our European neighbours on a free trade agreement and allowing the UK to take back control of our trade policy and our regulations.

“And we propose to amend the Political Declaration to reflect this ambition.

“Our proposals should now provide the basis for rapid negotiations towards a solution in the short time that remains.”

He said: “I do not for one moment resile from the fact that we have shown great flexibility in the interests of reaching an accommodation with our European friends and achieving the resolution for which we all yearn.

“If our European neighbours choose not to show a corresponding willingness to reach a deal then we shall have to leave on October 31 without an agreement and we are ready to do so.

“But that outcome would be a failure of statecraft for which all parties would be held responsible.”