Out of the blue and into the backstop

Most backstops are devised to guard against mishaps, but the Brexit one is a child of mutual suspicion

‘Welcome to backstop country,” said my colleague when I called into our Belfast office last week. Up to a few short months ago, like the people on the upper deck of the bus, most of us didn’t know what a backstop was. Judging by the circus in the House of Commons last week, many British parliamentarians still don’t know what it is.

At its simplest, a backstop is a physical barrier to prevent ...