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Talks between Brexit minister Lord Frost and the European Commission’s Maros Sefcovic on Wednesday failed to make a breakthrough on the protocol. The EU has threatened to launch a trade war against Britain if the Government fails to implement checks on goods entering Northern Ireland under the terms of the Brexit “divorce” settlement which Mr Johnson signed. DUP Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson has said the EU’s threats show the bloc is trying to reverse Brexit.
Speaking to talkRADIO, Mr Wilson said: “It’s not only a punishment for Brexit, it’s also an attempt to undo Brexit because Northern Ireland is a trojan horse which they’re using.
“They create the problem first of all by imposing all of these checks which are disrupting the Northern Ireland economy and creating tensions.
“Next they propose a solution, the solution is if the UK as a whole aligned itself with EU laws there wouldn’t be a problem.
“They’re using Northern Ireland to try and undo Brexit.
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“My solution for Boris Johnson is to simply say that trade which goes into the EU and those very small companies which trade with the Republic of Ireland, let them be subject to scrutiny that they abide by EU regulations.
“But let the rest of the country and businesses operate under British law rather than impose EU law on Northern Ireland and as a result of that bring about these checks.”
The protocol effectively keeps Northern Ireland in the European single market for goods in order to avoid a hard border with Ireland, meaning a trade barrier in the Irish Sea for goods crossing from Great Britain.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has said the Northern Ireland Protocol is the “only solution” to prevent a hard border with the Republic and must be implemented “completely”.
Joe Biden will tell Boris Johnson not to let the row over Northern Ireland’s Brexit arrangements put the Good Friday Agreement at risk when the pair meet on Thursday.
In the US president’s first overseas visit, aides said he will stress the need to “stand behind” the Northern Ireland Protocol, the element of the Brexit deal which has triggered a UK-EU dispute.
The issue has threatened to overshadow the Prime Minister’s first meeting with the president and his hosting of the G7 summit, which begins on Friday in Cornwall.
Aside from Brexit, Mr Johnson and Mr Biden will work on efforts to resume transatlantic travel and agree on a new Atlantic Charter paving the way for co-operation on challenges including climate change and security.
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