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Brexit minister Lord Frost has accused the EU of being an organisation “that doesn’t always look like” it wants the UK to succeed as he demanded changes to post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland.

In a speech in Lisbon, the cabinet minister called on Brussels to help “tackle the fundamental issues” with the Northern Ireland Protocol – which he claimed was “not working” – and to show “the same ambition and willingness” to solve problems.

He also reiterated a threat to suspend post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland by triggering Article 16 of the Protocol.

But critics attacked Lord Frost for now trashing an agreement he helped negotiate with Prime Minister Boris Johnson less than two years ago, and for risking a new row with the EU.

In his speech on Tuesday, Lord Frost said the Protocol was “the biggest source of mistrust” between the EU and UK and said the border arrangements had “completely lost consent in one community in Northern Ireland”.

“There is a widespread feeling in the UK that the EU did try to use Northern Ireland to encourage UK political forces to reverse the referendum result or at least to keep us closely aligned with the EU,” he added.

“And, moreover, that the Protocol represents a moment of EU overreach when the UK’s negotiating hand was tied, and therefore cannot reasonably last in its current form.

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“Whether or not you agree with either analysis – the facts on the ground are what matter above all.

“Maybe there is a world in which the Protocol could have worked, more sensitively implemented.

“But the situation has now moved on. We now face a very serious situation. The Protocol is not working.”

Lord Frost revealed he had shared a new legal text with the European Commission on Tuesday with his planned changes for the Protocol.

These include the removal of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) from oversight of the Protocol.

He spoke ahead of EU vice-president Maros Sefcovic delivering Brussels’ response on Wednesday to the UK government’s suggested changes to the Protocol, which Lord Frost outlined in July.

The Brexit minister said the UK was “really ready” to discuss the EU’s own proposals “whatever they say and we will obviously consider them seriously, fully, and positively”.

But he warned the EU must be ready to agree to “significant change” to the Protocol.

“We need the EU to show the same ambition and willingness – to tackle the fundamental issues at the heart of the Protocol head on,” Lord Frost added.

Senior EU figures – including French President Emmanuel Macron – have previously warned that “nothing is negotiable” with regards to the Protocol.

But, while Lord Frost admitted he understood why the EU “feels it is difficult to come back to an agreement reached only two years ago”, he stressed “that in itself is far from unusual in international relations”.

The last great battle of Brexit

By David Blevins, senior Ireland correspondent

Some are describing this as the last great battle of Brexit.

It’s less about the practicalities of the Northern Ireland Protocol and more about the politics – who has the power to enforce the trading arrangements.

When the UK voted to leave the EU, Northern Ireland became the square peg in the round hole.

How would Northern Ireland exit the EU with the rest of the United Kingdom without the need for a border with the Republic?

In the end the two sides compromised, leaving Northern Ireland in the EU’s single market, much to the angst of Unionists.

Now, there is a new dilemma. How can Northern Ireland remain in the EU’s single market and the European Court of Justice (ECJ) not have oversight here?

It’s too soon to know if Lord Frost’s stance on the ECJ is a negotiating position or a red line for a UK government seriously considering Article 16.

Responding to Lord Frost’s speech, former Conservative minister Gavin Barwell – who was also chief of staff to ex-prime minister Theresa May – accused the Brexit minister of causing new tensions with EU nations.

“The absolute state of David Frost trashing the deal he negotiated + hailed as a triumph – despite many, yours truly included, warning it was a dud – *and worse* now using it to further undermine our relationship with some of our closest friends in an increasingly dangerous world,” he posted on Twitter.

Labour’s shadow Brexit minister, Baroness Chapman, claimed senior Conservatives were “desperate to use a tussle with Brussels to distract from their domestic failures – whether on COVID, the energy crisis, or the needless culling of thousands of pigs”.

She added: “Today was an opportunity for the government to reset relations with our partners in the EU after a fractious start to our new relationship.

“Instead of approaching the occasion with maturity and in the spirit of cooperation, Lord Frost has effectively asked to rip up the agreement he negotiated – and the Prime Minister signed – just two years ago.”

And Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael, the party’s Northern Ireland spokesperson, said: “This Conservative government is playing out like a badly-written farce.

“The same minister who just months ago was trumpeting the government’s botched Brexit deal now says it’s intolerable and has to be changed.

“After all the upheaval British businesses have suffered and all the challenges they face now, they need certainty and support from the government, not more pointless posturing.”

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Unite boss Sharon Graham threatens to break link with Labour on eve of conference

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Unite boss Sharon Graham threatens to break link with Labour on eve of conference

The boss of Unite, Labour’s biggest union funder, has threatened to break its link with the party unless it changes direction.

Sharon Graham, general secretary of the union, told Sky News that, on the eve of a crucial party conference for the prime minister, Unite‘s support for Labour was hanging in the balance.

She told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: “My members, whether it’s public sector workers all the way through to defence, are asking, ‘What is happening here?’

Sharon Graham has been a long-time critic of Sir Keir Starmer. Pic: PA
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Sharon Graham has been a long-time critic of Sir Keir Starmer. Pic: PA

“Now when that question cannot be answered, when we’re effectively saying, ‘Look, actually we cannot answer why we’re still affiliated’, then absolutely I think our members will choose to disaffiliate and that time is getting close.”

Asked when that decision might be made, she cited the budget, on 26 November, as “an absolutely critical point of us knowing whether direction is going to change”.

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Ms Graham, who became leader in 2021, has been a long-time critic of Sir Keir Starmer‘s agenda, accusing him of lacking vision.

The union has campaigned against his decision to cut winter fuel allowance for pensioners – which was later reversed – and has called for more taxes on the wealthy.

But the firm threat to disaffiliate, and a timetable, highlights the acute trouble Sir Keir faces on multiple fronts, after a rocky few months which have seen his popularity plummet in the polls and his administration hit by resignations and scandals.

There is now open discussion about his leadership, with Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, claiming he’s been urged by MPs to mount a challenge.

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Burnham: Labour leadership ‘not up to me’

Unite has more than a million members, the second-largest union affiliated to Labour. It donates £1.5m a year from its membership fees to the party.

The union did not make an additional donation to Labour at the last election – as it has done previously – but was the biggest donor to its individual MPs and candidates. It has donated millions to the party in the past.

Any decision to disaffiliate would need to be made at a Unite rules conference; of which the next is scheduled for 2027, but there is the option to convene emergency conferences earlier.

Just 15 months into Sir Keir’s premiership, in which he has promised to champion workers’ rights, Ms Graham’s comments are likely to anger the Labour leadership.

Sir Keir Starmer has seen his popularity plummet in the polls in recent months. Pic: AP
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Sir Keir Starmer has seen his popularity plummet in the polls in recent months. Pic: AP

Read more: Now is moment of ‘maximum danger’ for Starmer, Harriet Harman warns

Unite, earlier this year, voted to suspend former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner of her union membership because of the government’s handling of a long-running bin strike in Birmingham.

Ms Graham has described the left-wing party being launched by Jeremy Corbyn as a “sideshow” and has brushed off speculation of a leadership challenge by Mr Burnham.

This summer, she said if Unite dropped support from Labour it would “focus on building a strong, independent workers’ union that was the true, authentic voice for workers”.

The annual Labour Party conference kicks off in Liverpool from Sunday.

As a union affiliated with Labour, Unite has seats on the party’s ruling national executive committee and can send delegates to its annual conference.

Watch the full interview with Sharon Graham on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips from 8.30am on Sky News

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The UK needs regulatory clarity that matches ambition

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The UK needs regulatory clarity that matches ambition

The UK needs regulatory clarity that matches ambition

The UK government talks about becoming a “leading global crypto hub,” but slow policy development and fragmented regulation risk losing ground to competitors.

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Vitalik slams EU’s Chat Control: ‘We all deserve privacy and security’

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Vitalik slams EU’s Chat Control: ‘We all deserve privacy and security’

Vitalik slams EU’s Chat Control: ‘We all deserve privacy and security’

Vitalik Buterin has opposed the EU’s proposed Chat Control law, warning it undermines digital privacy and creates surveillance backdoors.

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