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Hi, you're listening to Podlitical BBC Scotland's podcast

that gives you an inside look at the biggest stories coming out of Hollywood and Westminster. It's about three minutes past one on Thursday the 7th of January.

I'm Lucy White, a journalist based in the Glasgow Newsroom. Also with me this week are...

Hi, I'm Jane McCormack. I cover politics for the BBC in Belfast.

I'm Phil Sim. I'm a reporter at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.

And I'm Nick Ardy, a correspondent at Westminster.

And Miles Bonner, of course, is our producer behind the glass as always.

Welcome back, Jane.

It's good to be back, isn't it?

And what a week to be here.

I know.

We couldn't not have you on this week.

Because once again, who would have predicted it? It's all coming down to our old friend, the Northern Irish, backstop.

Listen, we're not going to make you go into a massive big explainer on that this week

because you've done it for us several times before so people can listen back.

We've heard so often about it.

It kind of feels like Groundhog Day, doesn't it?

Yes.

So we're going to take a presumption that people roughly know what it is that they're talking about.

But first of all, Jane, just tell us why it's so important again this week in particular.

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