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Boris Johnson advocated 'border in Irish Sea' according to leaked letter

Boris Johnson addresses the DUP conference. Picture by Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press
Boris Johnson addresses the DUP conference. Picture by Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press Boris Johnson addresses the DUP conference. Picture by Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press

ARCH Brexiteer Boris Johnson gave his blessing – albeit reluctantly – to checks on goods moving between Northern Ireland and Britain, a leaked letter has revealed.

The former foreign secretary was guest speaker at last weekend's DUP conference in Belfast, where he called for the British government to "junk the backstop" that may lead to a divergence in trade regualtions between the north and the rest of the UK.

In the three-page letter from Mr Johnson to Theresa May leaked to The Times, he discusses work the Foreign Office had undertaken to explore solutions to ensure a soft border.

In the correspondence, dating from February this year, the foreign secretary says checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea are being considered.

"If necessary we could even back up the system by agreeing some minimal random checks or other processes on the E-W (east-west) border (in practice at two UK ports) though I would be reluctant to go down this road unless it was essential to making an otherwise acceptable arrangement work," he wrote.

The Times quoted a source close to Mr Johnson who said the "hostile leak" intentionally misrepresented his position.

"The suggestion of checks was only in the context of a max fac solution in which all parts of the UK are sovereign and Northern Ireland might choose to align with Ireland, for example on agrifood, and Great Britain had different rules," the source said.

Checks are currently already carried out on many goods moving between Northern Ireland and Britain. Inspectors from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs are permanently in place at the ports of Belfast, Larne and Warrenpoint, along with the north's three airports.

Their role is to carry out health checks on livestock, products of animal origin, and plant material.