Northern Ireland faces compromise in post-Brexit deal

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Britain and the European Union have reached a new deal on post-Brexit trade deals for Northern Ireland, raising hopes that more than six years of wrangling on the UK's departure from the could finally come to an end.

The deal, announced by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday, is designed to replace existing rules that have been criticized for effectively creating a customs border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, weakening the region's ties with Britain.

WHAT WAS THE DEAL?

The government says the new arrangements, known as the Windsor Framework, will eliminate the need for customs checks on most goods being sent to Northern Ireland from other parts of the UK, reducing costs and the bureaucracy. The deal also reduces the role of EU law and the European Court of Justice in Northern Ireland, a key demand from Brexit supporters who want to shed remnants of the bloc's influence.

< p>WHY ARE WE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT IT? THIS?

Northern Ireland is in a unique position in the Brexit negotiations as it is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with the European Union. This border, which separates Northern Ireland from the Republic of Ireland to the south and east, is also particularly sensitive due to the history of sectarian violence on the island of Ireland.

The 1998 Good Friday Agreement that largely ended three decades of violence was underpinned by Northern Ireland and the Republic being members of the EU. This removed border checkpoints that had been a source of tension and allowed trade to flow freely, stimulating economic development and creating jobs on both sides of the border.

When the Great Britain left the bloc, negotiators for both sides pledged to keep the border open, even as rules on everything from food and farming to steel and drugs began to diverge . This has forced them to find a new way to protect their domestic markets from products that do not comply with their laws.

WHY DIDN'T BREXIT FIX THESE ISSUES?

< p>Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson attempted to resolve these issues with the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol, which required customs checks on certain goods being shipped from other parts of the UK upon entering Northern Ireland .

But Unionist politicians in Northern Ireland, who...