Britain has been threatening for months to scrap the Northern Ireland Protocol, a British-led deal reached by the Johnson administration to secure a Brexit divorce and a broader trade deal between Brussels and London. As part of the agreement, Northern Ireland remained essentially in the EU single goods market to maintain an open border with EU member Ireland, which was the key to a 1998 peace agreement. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register But this required customs controls on goods moving from Britain to Northern Ireland, something that pro-British communities in Northern Ireland say is eroding their position in the UK. Johnson wanted to underestimate the impact of the new legislation, which his secretary of state, Liz Tras, will present to parliament later Monday. He said any discussion of a trade war of retaliation would be a “harsh, gross overreaction”. “It’s a bureaucratic change that needs to be made. It’s really a relatively insignificant set of adjustments,” Johnson told LBC Radio, again challenging critics who say the legislation would violate international law. “All we are trying to do is have some bureaucratic simplifications between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.” Tras urged European Commission Vice President Maro Sefkovic to allow changes to the protocol, reiterating London’s position that it did want a “negotiated solution”. read more Legislation, like Brexit itself, has divided legal and political opinion in Britain, with proponents of UK divorce saying it was not enough and critics saying it was undermining London by challenging an international agreement. Ireland has warned that the plan would be “deeply damaging” and “low point” in London’s approach to Brexit. Sefkovic said unilateral action would damage confidence. read more
TENSIONS DEFINITELY
Tensions over the protocol have been simmering for months between London and Brussels, with British ministers accusing the EU of enforcing rules that have hit the bureaucracy and threatened political stability in Northern Ireland. Critics of the London plan, including representatives of the province’s dairy, manufacturing and logistics industries, say its unilateral action will hurt businesses. Brussels believes any unilateral change could violate international law and could be met with legal action and tariffs – a risk at a time when British inflation is set to reach 10% and the economy is shrinking. read more It is expected to propose a “green channel” for goods moving from Britain to Northern Ireland, repealing rules that prevent the county from benefiting from tax aid and ending the European Court of Justice’s role as sole arbitrator. The plan would be a test of Johnson’s power, with four out of 10 lawmakers opposing a no-confidence vote last week. It is also likely to sound the alarm in Washington. The Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, stated that there will be no US-UK trade agreement if London repeals the protocol. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Additional references by Paul Sandle, Andrew MacAskill and Kylie MacLellan. Editing: Louise Heavens, Mark Potter and Ed Osmond Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
