UK and EU to hold crunch talks on Northern Ireland as deal hangs in the balance

about 2 years in The Irish Times

British foreign secretary Liz Truss will hold crunch talks with the vice president of the European Commission on Thursday as ministers consider whether to override parts of the post-Brexit deal on Northern Ireland.
UK attorney general Suella Braverman is said to have approved the scrapping of swathes of the agreement, giving prime minister Boris Johnson legal cover to make the move, despite warnings from Joe Biden’s White House and European leaders not to single-handedly meddle with the terms.
On Wednesday, Mr Johnson said the Belfast Agreement was more important than the Northern Ireland protocol as he dismissed suggestions of any possible escalatory response from the European Union as “crazy”.
He said there was no need for “drama” as he doubled down on hints he could override elements of the deal.
Ms Truss is expected to tell EC vice president Maros Sefcovic in a call on Thursday morning that the dispute over Northern Ireland cannot drag on.
She had warned she would “not shy away” from taking action as she accused the EU of proposing solutions that would “take us backwards”.
According to The Times, Ms Braverman had advised that legislation to override the protocol would be legally sound because of the “disproportionate and unreasonable” way it has been implemented by the EU.
She has submitted evidence accusing the EU of undermining the Belfast Agreement by creating a trade barrier in the Irish Sea, and warned of “societal unrest” in Northern Ireland, the newspaper said.
There is said to be a rift in the British Cabinet over the move, with Ms Truss, Ms Braverman and Brexit opportunities minister Jacob Rees-Mogg reportedly in favour, while chancellor Rishi Sunak is concerned about the impact on the economy.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz has said: “No-one should unilaterally cancel, break or in any way attack the settlement.”
The White House stressed the need for talks to continue to resolve the issues, with a spokesman saying: “The best path forward is a pragmatic one that requires courage, co-operation and leadership.
“We urge the parties to continue engaging in dialogue to resolve differences and bring negotiations to a successful conclusion.”
Officials working for Ms Truss are drawing up draft legislation to unilaterally remove the need for checks on all goods being sent from Britain for use in Northern Ireland.
The PA news agency was told that Ms Truss is poised to take further action in coming weeks if negotiations with the EU continue to stall.
The proposed law would allow businesses in Northern Ireland to disregard EU rules and regulations and remove the power of the European Court of Justice to rule on issues relating to the North.
Crucially, it would in parts override the protocol agreed by Mr Johnson in 2019 and mean the UK had breached its obligations under the Brexit agreement.
But it has been argued that the protocol will not be completely overridden, with measures being considered to ease the issues on the ground in Northern Ireland.

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