Good morning. You’ve probably had enough of the febrile politics of Westminster for a bit, so may I present you with: the intractable politics of Northern Ireland.
Because of its objections to the Northern Ireland protocol – the arrangements governing post-Brexit trade – the Democratic Unionist party has refused to take up its place since elections in May, and the deadline for doing so is tomorrow. Barring a sudden breakthrough in talks, a new election now looks almost inevitable – but the likelihood is that it won’t solve anything.
