Brexit: Leaked report says UK must stay in customs union to avoid hard borders.

The Northern Ireland border is a major
Brexit sticking point (Getty)

The “only option” to avoid any hard border for Northern Ireland would be for the whole of the UK to remain in a customs union with the EU, according to a leaked report.

The document drawn up for the Northern Ireland civil service warns any other solution would lead to border controls with either the Republic Ireland or the rest of the UK.

The report by two legal experts was among 25 official documents related to Brexit which have been leaked by the European Parliament’s GUE/NGL group, which includes Sinn Fein.

It analyses the three options for avoiding a hard border in Ireland which were presented in the Withdrawal Agreement drafted by the UK and EU in December.

The UK’s stated aim was to avoid a hard border in Ireland “through the overall EU-UK relationship” – a trade deal so comprehensive that trade would be frictionless.

Prime Minister Theresa May has also ruled out any solution that would create a customs border between Nothern Ireland and the rest of the UK in the Irish sea.

By Luke James.

Full story at Yahoo News.