The UK’s unilateral move to extend grace periods for the Irish Sea border is welcome, but the context of it is alarming

The UK government’s determination to extend the grace period for aspects of the Irish Sea border is simultaneously welcome and alarming.

It is welcome in that it show the London is taking seriously the Northern Ireland Protocol disaster.

But that is about the only solace to be taken from this saga.

Boris Johnson should never have accepted for a moment that Northern Ireland would be separated from Great Britain economically (and he implied he never would accept it).

Theresa May should never have rolled over to the idea that the there could be no change whatsoever at the Irish land border.

And the DUP made a mistake in agreeing a regulatory border on October 2 2019 (it is only fair to note that the party did so after several years of intolerable pressure, after being made to feel that it was holding up Brexit, and after securing key concessions including pre-approval by Stormont and the fact that NI would be kept fully in UK customs territory).

But while the DUP concession was understandable in the context, it was ruthlessly exploited by the prime minister.

The UK’s unilateral move on grace periods is thus alarming because it puts the nation in the uncomfortable situation of reversing from its own spectacularly foolish commitments.

It is further alarming because there is now the prospect of yet another u-turn by London. If the European Parliament refuses to ratify the Brexit deal, will it drop its plan as it did the Internal Market Bill?

And the grace period extension is also troubling because if successful it will merely disguise, and delay full understanding of, the constitutional betrayal of Northern Ireland over which a Conservative and Unionist government has presided.

While there is no easy route for unionism, it becomes harder as each week passes to see how unionists can credibly operate this border.

Not only have they have had imposed on them a breach of the consent principle, they know that under no circumstances would republicans, who have behaved so disgracefully, be put in such a position — let alone accept it.

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