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One theory doing the rounds in Dublin is that Boris Johnson may pull a Northern Ireland-only backstop out of the bag at the last minute as a means of forcing a Brexit deal through parliament in between 17 October and 31 October.

The idea was mooted early on in Brexit talks but famously dropped after opposition from the DUP, which accused Theresa May of trying to break up the union of the United Kingdom by creating regulatory checks down the Irish Sea.

But Johnson’s proposal for an all-island agriculture zone is one of the key elements of the backstop and now that the DUP no longer has the leverage it had because of the changed arithmetic, some believe this is where the landing zone is.

As Daniel Boffey reported on Friday, it is understood the UK has suggested there is a need for Stormont to be able to vote on the continuation of the proposed common regulatory area, which has been described by EU officials as a “backstop-lite”.



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The suggestion that Stormont could have a role in dynamic regulatory alignment has been rejected by the EU, but it is being seen as a sign of the thinking in Conservative quarters.

It may also explain why efforts are being redoubled to get Stormont back up and running by the deadline for direct rule in October.

One British source said the all-island agri-zone “is a very serious proposal” and should not be dismissed, with another reporting one senior cabinet minister dropping strong hints that a Northern Ireland-only backstop is not off the table, despite statements to the contrary by Boris Johnson.

So is it possible that Johnson comes back from Brussels on 17 October with no deal, and, faced with the law that will require him to seek an extension, reverts to the original Northern Ireland-only backstop in a very last die-in-a-ditch moment?