The uncertainty on Brexit is still on going. Yesterday Prime Minister May presented her 'plan B' to the British parliament. The media suggests her 'plan B' looks suspiciously similar to 'plan A'. The focus seems to land on the so called 'Backstop'. May is trying to find ways to get the no-voters from her own party and the Northern Irish DUP on board. The DUP stated that unless and until the backstop is adjusted, they will not agree to a Brexit deal. On the other side of the negotiations in Europe, the EU and Ireland have already made clear the backstop needs to remain in the deal unless and until a better solution is found.

Prime Minister May also wants to bring Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour Party leader, into the conversation but he is demanding a promise from May that there will be no 'hard Brexit'. This is a demand May is not willing to meet. The date of the Brexit is still set for March the 29th. Prime Minister May doesn't see any merit in delaying the departure from the European Union. On top of that there is no guarantee that the EU will grant an extension if there is no clear path towards a breakthrough. A new referendum seems to be off the table as well. Quite apart from the practical objections to realising a referendum in the short-term, May doesn't want to increase the disunity of the nation.

The backstop is a safety net that will prevent a hard border with Ireland. In the Good Friday Agreement, that ended a decade's long conflict in Northern Ireland, it was agreed that such a border would never exist on the island of Ireland. With the departure of the British from Europe, such a border is inevitable unless the Brits remain in the customs-union. If the backstop goes into effect (if there is a No-Deal Brexit), the free movement of goods and persons between Ireland and Northern Ireland remains possible. This means the British will have to comply with European regulations, but will no longer have any say in them. The arrangement can expect a lot of criticism from parliament, because there are no agreements on how long this backstop would last.