The UK government has not been able to get the UK EU Withdrawal Agreement approved primarily because of objections to the Northern Ireland Backstop (officially called the Protocol on Northern Ireland). The objectors fear that the UK could be permanently locked into the Backstop. To end the Backstop representatives of both the EU and the UK have to agree under Article 20 of the Protocol that the Backstop is no longer needed, so in principle the UK could get locked in by intransigence on the part of the EU. Many opponents of the Backstop as it stands are confident that solutions will be found too make it no longer necessary, but they fear that the EU would still force the UK to stay in the Backstop. Ian Roxan argues that an Arbitration Agreement can solve the backstop blockage.
Read the full LSE Brexit blog by Dr Roxan.