EU offers to reduce Northern Ireland border checks to ‘a couple of lorries a day’

Brexit chief extends olive branch in effort to bring UK back to negotiating table in long-running dispute

The EU has initiated a fresh attempt to end the Northern Ireland Brexit dispute with the UK with a proposal to reduce checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea to a near invisible manner" involving just a couple of lorries" a day.

Maro efovi, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, said physical checks would be made only when there is a reasonable suspicion of illegal trade smuggling, illegal drugs, dangerous toys or poisoned food".