PM says solution to NI Protocol row ‘easily doable’ as EU says its patience with UK ‘wearing very, very thin’
Discussions between the UK and the EU over post-Brexit rules in Northern Ireland have ended without an agreement being reached.
Brexit Minister Lord Frost said he and European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic had broken up their discussions with “no breakthroughs and no breakdowns” with the EU on the implementation of the Northern Ireland protocol.
Mr Sefcovic described the EU as having reached “a crossroads” with the EU after Wednesday’s talks and said the bloc’s patience is “wearing very, very thin”.
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GB chilled meats ‘no risk’ to N Ireland
In a statement following the meeting between the pair, the government acknowledged the “urgent need for further discussions in order to make real progress”.
“The UK will continue to put forward detailed proposals, as we have throughout this year, and looks forward to discussing any proposals the EU may put forward,” it said.
The showdown comes as Boris Johnson is battling to avoid a sausage trade war with Brussels which could see chilled meats barred from shops in Northern Ireland from the end of this month.
Ahead of the talks, which took place in London, Lord Frost warned that time was running out for an agreement to be reached and had called for “common sense” to prevail.
Mr Sefcovic has 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.
Speaking after the three-and-a-half hour talks on Wednesday, Lord Frost said the “frank and honest discussions” had not resulted in a resolution, but that the two sides had agreed to carry on communicating.
The talks between Lord Frost and Maros Sefcovic lasted three-and-a-half hours on Wednesday.
“The problem we’ve got is the protocol is being implemented in a way which is causing disruption in Northern Ireland and we had some pretty frank and honest discussions about that situation today,” he said.
“There weren’t any breakthroughs. There aren’t any breakdowns either and we’re going to carry on talking.
“What we really now need to do is very urgently find some solutions which support the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, support the peace process in Northern Ireland and allow things to return to normal.”
Calling for “pragmatic solutions” to be found, Lord Frost maintained that the EU is insisting the protocol is implemented in an “extremely purist way”.
“What the EU is insisting on is we should operate the protocol in an extremely purist way. The reality is that it’s a very balanced document that’s designed to support the peace process and deal with the very sensitive politics in Northern Ireland,” the Brexit minister said.
But Mr Sefcovic said Brussels has engaged “creatively and tirelessly” to find solutions for businesses and those living in Northern Ireland.
“There are still numerous and fundamental gaps in the UKs implementation of our agreement.
European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic has said the EU will act ‘firmly’ if the UK does not agree on deadlines for complying with its obligations.
“These gaps need to be filled by a mutually agreed compliant path with concrete deadlines and milestones for the UK to fulfil its existing obligations.
“If the UK were to take further unilateral action in the coming weeks the EU will not be shy in acting swiftly, firmly and resolutely to ensure the UK abides by its international obligations,” he told reporters.
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.
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.
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Sausage row threatens post-Brexit trade deal
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.
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 has said there is “no case whatsoever” for blocking the sale of chilled meats.
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Politics
Keir Starmer refuses to reveal what he was told about Louise Haigh phone ‘theft’ that led to her resignation
Sir Keir Starmer has refused to reveal the “further information” he was told about Louise Haigh’s phone “theft” conviction which led to her stepping down as transport secretary.
The prime minister was asked by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch what new information “came to light” about Ms Haigh’s conviction, which is now “spent”, for reporting a phone stolen to police when it was not in 2014.
Sky News revealed last week she admitted to pleading guilty to misleading the police, said it was a “genuine mistake” and had disclosed the incident when she was appointed to the shadow cabinet.
However, she stepped down as transport secretary on Friday after “new information” emerged, Downing Street said.
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Answering Ms Badenoch’s question at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), Sir Keir said: “I’m not going to disclose private conversations. Further information came to light. The transport secretary resigns.”
The Tory leader accused Sir Keir of having “knowingly appointed a convicted fraudster to be a transport secretary” and asked: “What was he thinking?”
He said Ms Haigh “was right, when further information came forward, to resign”.
Sir Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch faced off over Louise Haigh at PMQs
But Ms Badenoch accused him of never answering questions and allowing someone convicted of fraud to award pay rises to public sector workers.
“And it looks like he didn’t ask his transport secretary any questions either,” she told the Commons.
“The truth is, he appointed a person convicted of fraud to the cabinet.
“The first thing she did was bung hundreds of millions of pounds in pay rises to her trade union friends. Wasn’t this a fraud on the British people?”
Ms Badenoch was referring to the 15% pay rise Labour gave train drivers shortly after coming to power in July.
They also gave above-inflation pay rises to several other public sector workers, including teachers, most NHS workers and members of the armed forces.
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Ms Haigh has declined to say officially if the prime minister knew about the conviction when he appointed his cabinet in July.
A source told Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby that the story that emerged on Thursday was “inconsistent” with what Sir Keir had been told when Ms Haigh was appointed to his shadow cabinet.
Ms Haigh said the incident arose after she was “mugged while on a night out” in 2013.
She said she reported the incident to the police and gave officers a list of items she believed had been taken – including a work mobile phone.
However, she told Sky News she discovered “some time later” that “the mobile in question had not been taken”.
In the interim, she was issued with another work phone. When she turned on the original work device, it “triggered police attention and I was asked to come in for questioning”, she said.
“My solicitor advised me not to comment during that interview and I regret following that advice,” she added.
“Under the advice of my solicitor I pleaded guilty – despite the fact this was a genuine mistake from which I did not make any gain.
“The magistrates accepted all of these arguments and gave me the lowest possible outcome (a discharge) available.”
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