Boris Johnson’s government is threatening to tear up the Northern Ireland Protocol unless the EU agrees to abandon border controls soon, despite warnings that the dispute could spark a “terrible” trade war.
The Independent understands that Foreign Minister Liz Truss is calling for unilateral action, unless there is a swift and significant change in Brussels’ position to lift checks on goods agreed in the Brexit withdrawal agreement.
A Foreign Ministry source said the compromise seemed unlikely after European Commission negotiator Maros Shefcovic recently made it clear in an appeal to Mrs Trus that the EU could not go beyond its existing proposals to ease some checks alone. .
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis – who is heading to Stormont on Monday for crisis talks following Sinn Féin’s historic election victory – has suggested the government is ready to “do what we have to do” to repeal the protocol.
Mr Lewis denied that the government was “dancing to the tune of the DUP”, with the Unionist Party refusing to enter into power-sharing agreements with Sinn Fein until Downing Street abolished protocol checks on goods coming from Britain to Northern Ireland.
“It is really disappointing that the EU has not shown the flexibility we need to see to get this resolution,” Lewis told Sky News on Sunday.
Regarding the prospect of legislation repealing the protocol, Mr Lewis added: “We have always said that we are not taking anything from the masses and that has not changed. We will do what we have to do… There is a time when we will have to make some decisions. ”
The Government of the Republic of Ireland has called on all parties to work together to restore executive power by sharing power after Sinn Fein became the largest party in the Stormont Assembly for the first time.
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Cowney said the EU was “ready to be very flexible over the last 12 months to try to find a basis for an agreement”.
Mr Cowney added: “We do not need threats of unilateral action, unilateral legislation in Westminster. What we need is partnership and intensive negotiations in order to try and finally resolve the issues surrounding the protocol without dismantling an international treaty.
As the EU is unlikely to succumb to threats, UK food industry chiefs told The Independent they feared the trade war would lead to a further spike in supermarket prices just as families struggle to fight. cope with rising living costs.
The European Commission is ready to take retaliatory trade action if №10 violates its commitment to comply with the protocol, say legal experts – including measures to impose tariffs on British goods.
“The EU can take legal action initially, but there may be some punitive measures. If tariffs are ultimately applied to goods, that would be appalling. This will increase costs and prices, “said Peter Hardwick, trade policy adviser to the British Meat Processors Association.
Shane Brennan, chief executive of the Cold Chain Federation, said he expected the “dispute” between the UK and the EU to “intensify”. “Tariffs would be a huge step backwards. They would add significant inflationary pressures to spending at all levels, up to the end user. ”
Sinn Fein President Mary Lou MacDonald (left) and Stormont leader Michelle O’Neill celebrate historic vote
(AP)
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has not confirmed whether his party will nominate a deputy prime minister, with Shin Fein leader in Stormont Michel O’Neill expected to be nominated for prime minister. Nominations are scheduled for Thursday.
Ms O’Neill called on the DUP to “work together” in Stormont. But Sir Jeffrey suggested that the party would not co-operate until number 10 acted on the protocol. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, the leader of the DUP said: “No more words. It’s time for action. The border with the Irish Sea must be crossed and the protocol replaced. “
The election results mean that a majority of the elected representatives are in favor of maintaining the protocol aimed at preventing a hard border on the island of Ireland. Only 37 unions in the new 90-seat assembly are hostile.
However, Deputy Prime Minister Dominique Raab said stability in Northern Ireland was “threatened” by the protocol – telling Sky News that the government would take “any necessary measures” to deal with the inspections, so cursed by unionists.
Stability in Northern Ireland is “in jeopardy” unless the protocol is rejected, says Dominique Raab
He and Mr Lewis declined to say whether a bill to break the protocol would be included in the Queen’s speech on Tuesday. But The Independent understands that the legislation could be introduced later during the parliamentary session.
Meanwhile, Sinn Fein President Mary Lou MacDonald has stepped up her efforts for a referendum on the reunification of Ireland, a move that will require the consent of the governments of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
The Republican leader told BBC Radio 4’s The World This Weekend that it was time to start an Irish “civil assembly” to discuss how a border study could work. She said the vote for unification “will happen” in the next decade.
But Mr Lewis and Mr Raab seem to reject the idea of a border poll – pointing to the fact that there are still a majority in the assembly for parties that oppose constitutional changes, despite Sinn Fein’s success.
A spokesman for the European Commission told The Independent that the intention was to “continue to work” on solutions to protocol trade barriers, adding: “We are fully committed to working with the United Kingdom to ensure long-term legal certainty and predictability in the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland. ”
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