Brexit’s Northern Ireland Problem

Abstract

Abstract This introductory chapter sets out the key features of the environment in which the Northern Ireland constitution and Brexit intersect before, briefly, outlining the methodological approach taken and the consequential structure of the book. The contextual factors set out can be summarised as follows: (1) Brexit exposed a previously under-studied lack of settlement in the UK constitution and, as a result, fault lines emerged between parties with differing views of what that constitution requires; (2) the significance and vulnerability of Northern Ireland facing Brexit was multifaceted and derived from its constitution and its constitutionally contested history; (3) the Northern Ireland constitution is unique in the UK and internationally; (4) the high profile granted Northern Ireland in the context of Brexit marks a shift away from an established norm in UK politics of paying minimal attention to the constitutional particularities of the place.