U.K., EU strike tentative Brexit deal

With just a fortnight left until the Brexit deadline, the United Kingdom and the European Union found a compromise on the sticky question of what to do with Northern Ireland. The proposed deal, announced Thursday, would keep Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K., within the EU single market for goods and eliminate custom checks at the border with Ireland. After four years, Northern Ireland would get the chance to vote on whether to continue the arrangement.

How final is the deal? The 27 EU member nations unanimously endorsed it Thursday, but it still must get the approval of British lawmakers. It could face a tough time in Parliament because Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party, one of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s key allies, doesn’t support it. The news caused the British pound to surge to a five-month high against the U.S. dollar.

Dig deeper: Read past WORLD coverage of the many obstacles that have stymied Brexit. Then view the updated Brexit declaration.

WORLD has updated this report to reflect that the EU approved the deal Thursday.