What is the Northern Ireland Protocol and why are the EU and UK fighting over sausages?
The UK and the EU are set to thrash out their differences over the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Brexit minister Lord Frost and Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission vice president, will meet on Wednesday after the latter suggested the EU is finding it hard to trust the UK following its departure from the bloc
Mr Sefcovic said there have been “numerous and fundamental gaps in the UK’s implementation” of the two sides’ trade deal and that the EU will act “firmly” if the UK does not agree on deadlines for complying with its obligations.
In turn, Environment Secretary George Eustice claimed the Northern Ireland Protocol, in the way the EU wants to implement it, would make it impossible for UK producers to sell British sausages to Northern Ireland.
Sky News has taken a closer look at the issues.
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Many suppliers in Britain ‘have chosen to stop supplying to Northern Ireland’
What is the Northern Ireland Protocol?
It is a crucial part of the Internal Markets Bill, which was drawn up to ensure trade between all four UK nations remains barrier-free after the Brexit transition period ended on 31 December 2020.
The Northern Ireland Protocol was put in place to avoid the introduction of a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
It states that Northern Ireland will remain part of the UK’s customs territory – so if the UK signs a free trade deal with another country, Northern Irish goods would be included.
However, Northern Ireland will have to stick to some EU rules to allow goods to move freely into the Republic.
Goods moving from the rest of the UK to Northern Ireland will not be subject to a tariff unless they are “at risk” of being moved into the EU afterwards.
Mr Eustice said in 2020 there would need to be “some checks on some goods” and “some customs processes but not customs checks” at the border with the Republic.
Goods coming from Northern Ireland to Great Britain can have “unfettered” access, the Internal Market Bill says. This means goods sold in Northern Ireland will be accepted everywhere else in the UK, but the reverse may not be true.
The Northern Ireland Protocol was meant to prevent a physical border on the island of Ireland
What has happened since the Brexit transition period ended?
Products from Great Britain entering Northern Ireland have had to undergo EU import procedures at the ports.
An Irish Sea border has effectively been imposed in an effort to prevent a physical border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
This has resulted in delays and sometimes sparse supermarket shelves.
Checks imposed at the port in Larne, Northern Ireland, have not been popular
What are the UK and EU disagreeing over?
Under the protocol, a ban will come into force if the UK and EU cannot agree on new regulatory standards to cover the sale of some products after a “grace period” allowed under the agreement.
In March, the UK unilaterally extended the grace period for supermarket goods and parcels for another six months, after it was due to finish at the end of that month.
The EU launched legal action against the UK for extending that grace period.
The UK promised there would be no sea border
It is understood British ministers are now considering a unilateral extension for chilled meats, including sausages and mince, which is due to end on 30 June.
After the grace period, chilled meats produced in Great Britain will not be allowed to be sold in Northern Ireland as they are not from the EU, which has strict restrictions on food products.
Mr Sefcovic said retaliation by the EU would be so extreme it would ensure the UK “abides by its international law obligations”.
Boris Johnson‘s spokesman said there was “no case whatsoever” for blocking the sale of chilled meats.
British sausages have been the focus of the latest disagreement
Lord Frost claims the EU has been “inflexible” over the protocol, something the EU rejects.
The EU has said the UK could align with its animal health and food safety rules to remove the need for 80% of the current Irish Sea customs checks.
But the UK has rejected this, as it says it will tie Britain’s hands in trade negotiations with other countries.
The UK has also accused the EU of failing to engage with its own proposals, especially with the issues people in Northern Ireland are facing.
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper has revealed she was told she had four days to live but the NHS saved her.
Speaking to the party’s conference in Brighton, Ms Cooper also told for the first time how the Lib Dems were on the brink of extinction in 2020.
She said the NHS gave her life back, which is why the party is determined to turn the health service around.
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Ms Cooper, who has the autoimmune disease Crohn’s, said she was rushed to hospital 12 years ago and was told without major surgery she had only four days to live.
She weighed just seven stone, her eyesight was failing, her heart rate had plummeted, her arms were black and blue and she was fed through a feeding tube, the MP said.
“But it wasn’t the prospect of major surgery that upset me – it was what they said next,” she told the conference.
“‘Even if you survive Daisy, even if you recover, you will probably never be able to work again. Your Crohn’s disease is so aggressive, at most you’ll be able to maybe do one day a week but nothing too stressful.
“‘You’ll likely need surgery every five years or so. Here’s an information pack about the benefits you might be entitled to.'”
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Ms Cooper, 42, said she lay in her bed and sobbed for “17 hours straight” as she felt her world had “fallen apart” and that she would never be able to campaign again.
She added: “Hopefully though, you can see that the story ends well!
“As is the case with so many millions of people, the NHS didn’t just save my life, the people who make the NHS what it is, gave me my life back.”
She said she often wonders what is happening to people who are suffering the same symptoms now and questioned if they can even get a GP appointment, or if they have to wait a long time for a scan or are stuck in a hospital corridor.
The Lib Dems are demanding the government increase funding for the NHS, including GP services, when the chancellor announces her autumn budget on 30 October.
But Sir Keir Starmer earlier this week said the NHS would not get any more funding without reforming as he laid out a 10-year plan to fix the health service.
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Sir Ed Davey helped build a stile near Brighton while at the party’s conference. Pic: PA
Ms Cooper also told the conference one of the first conversations she had with Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey after she became his deputy in 2020, was how the party was close to not existing.
“It was quite sobering,” she said.
“He said to me: ‘Daisy, we both know we’ve only got 11 MPs. But – when you add up our majorities – do you know how few votes stand between us and extinction? It’s 69,664. If we lose just half of those votes to the Tories, we will be wiped out’.”
That conversation has been in the back of her mind every day since, she said.
But she revealed she had not told “a single living soul” until now because they did not want anyone to know “we were in survival mode”, especially after boundary changes meant they notionally only had eight seats.
“Eight seats between us having a parliamentary party – or extinction,” she added.
“But here’s a new number for you: our MPs now represent seven million people! In parliament, I can’t even walk to the toilet without bumping into a Lib Dem MP!”
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The prime minister has said it is “very important… that the rules are followed” after becoming embroiled in a row about a donor paying for his wife’s clothes.
The Conservatives are calling for an investigation into Sir Keir Starmer over a possible breach of parliamentary rules after he failed to declare his biggest personal donor, Lord Alli, paid for a personal shopper, clothes and alterations for Lady Victoria Starmer.
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Sir Keir Starmer and Lady Victoria Starmer have both had clothes paid for by Lord Alli. Pic: PA
A Number 10 spokesperson told Sky News it was an oversight that had been corrected after it “sought advice from the authorities on coming to office”.
But it raised further questions over whether Sir Keir and his wife needed to have clothes donated to them when the prime minister’s annual salary is around £160,000.
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This year alone, Sir Keir has received – and disclosed – nearly £19,000 worth of work clothes and several pairs of glasses from Lord Alli, the former chairman of online fashion retailer Asos, The Times reported.
In addition, the peer, whose personal wealth is estimated at £200m, spent £20,000 on accommodation for the now prime minister during the election and a similar sum on “private office” costs, which was also disclosed, the paper said.
MPs are required to register gifts and donations within 28 days of receiving them, but it is understood the donations for Lady Victoria’s clothes were submitted late.
Asked about the row while on a trip to Rome, the prime minister said: “It’s very important to me that the rules are followed. I’ve always said that. I said that before the election. I reinforced it after the election.
“And that’s why shortly after the election, my team reached out for advice on what declarations should be made so it’s in accordance with the rules.
“They then sought out for further advice more recently, as a result of which they’ve made the relevant declarations.”
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Sir Keir added: “For me, it’s really important that the rules are followed.
“That’s why I was very pleased my team reached out proactively, not once, but twice, because it is very important that we have transparency, very important that you and others can see the rules are being followed.”
In a letter to the parliamentary standards commissioner, the Tories highlighted how Lord Alli had hit the headlines over the summer for being given a security pass to Number 10, despite having no government role.
“It has now emerged that at the same time Sir Keir Starmer failed to declare a substantial gift of designer clothes, tailoring and a personal shopper bought for his wife by Lord Alli, both prior to the general election… and following it,” they wrote.
Lord Alli pictured in 2014. Pic: Rex
Shadow science and technology secretary Andrew Griffith added: “It beggars belief that the prime minister thinks it’s acceptable that pensioners on £13,000 a year can afford to heat their home when he earns 12 times that but apparently can’t afford to clothe himself or his wife.
“While his top team want a taxpayer-funded clothes budget to look sharp, people across the country are forced to make tough choices in the face of Labour’s damaging decisions.
“Labour promised change but in ten short weeks all they’ve delivered is a change of clothes for themselves. Labour have made the political choice to put themselves and their Union paymasters before the most vulnerable.”
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