UK’s Brexit plan is alarmingly generous but EU still set to say no

The government’s proposals for resolving the Brexit impasse have been swiftly and entirely rejected by the Remain political parties in Northern Ireland. They have not been rejected out of hand by Dublin yet or Brussels, but both have reacted coolly.

This is the despite the massive generosity of the offer that London has been put forward.

Indeed, the proposals are alarmingly generous.

It is welcome that the government is (it seems) determined to see Northern Ireland leave the customs union, which must happen if Great Britain leaves the same. A tariff border in the Irish Sea would be completely unacceptable, dividing the internal trade territory of a nation.

But at the same time NI would be within the single market for all goods, not just agrifood, as had recently been mooted as a significant possible concession.

This means that there would be a barrier to the movement of goods within the UK internal market, checking standards of goods. It is a major concession, that will introduce an impediment to by far the most important trade in Northern Ireland, that from east to west, which is much more significant in volume than north to south.

It is said that Stormont will provide a lock on whether or not this Irish Sea border actually happens, but the assembly has an anti unionist, pro all-island majority.

In any event, even if there was such a safeguard, the EU very well knows that Britain might well be suggesting this as an opening bid.

That raises the prospect of further unacceptable movement towards all-island arrangements in negotiations.

It is clear that a general election is needed to try to flush out the logjam. This has been blocked by Jeremy Corbyn but the Labour Party refusal of a necessary contest is an increasingly unsustainable hindrance to democracy.