The EU has warned the UK to “reduce its rhetoric” and start being “honest” with voters on the Brexit protocol for Northern Ireland following the historic Stormont elections, which put Sinn Fein at the forefront of opinion polls.
As the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) warned it could delay the return of power-sharing until Christmas, EU Vice President Maros Shefcovic said he also wanted solutions.
“We need the UK government to reduce its rhetoric, be honest about the deal they signed and agree to find solutions within it,” he said in a statement. “The EU has already shown great flexibility in proposing impactful and lasting solutions, and we are ready to continue discussions.
Irish Taoist Michel Martin said the flexibility shown by the EU was “not reciprocal”, suggesting that his recent threats of unilateral action to lift some of the checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea “have made the EU more cautious. “
He said he would like to believe that the British government will continue to approach the issue with a determination to “resolve it wisely”, adding that the Irish government will help facilitate this. “The policy of this is more problematic than resolving the real trade issues around the protocol.”
Sources in Brussels said talks between Shefcovic and Foreign Minister Liz Truss had been suspended on the eve of the Stormont election, but said they would resume with renewed vigor.
They said there was room for a deal, but the UK had to show its will to go beyond something. Negotiations are likely to last several months.
Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg recently hinted at unilateral action to “amend” the protocol, but dropped threats of new domestic laws to avoid implementing part of the protocol.
Diplomatic sources in the EU say any such unilateral action will be met with retaliation, adding that even in the context of the war in Ukraine, they could not “ignore” such a move.
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The UK government will take “the necessary measures” to amend the Brexit protocol, Justice Minister Dominique Raab has promised. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis has ruled out any immediate prospect of a referendum on a united Ireland.
Following a clear election victory for Sinn Féin, the DUP said it could not take up the post of Deputy Prime Minister until Brexit checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from Britain were lifted.
Raab told Sky News on Sunday: “If nothing else, the results of this election in Northern Ireland clearly show that [a protocol change] it cannot be postponed. “
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