The Foreign Secretary, , spoke to Vice President today (Thursday 12 May).
The Foreign Secretary outlined that the UK’s overriding priority
is to protect peace and stability in Northern Ireland and said
that the Northern Ireland Protocol had become the greatest
obstacle to forming a Northern Ireland Executive. She also noted
that the current situation was causing unacceptable disruption to
trade and had created a two-tier system where people in Northern
Ireland weren’t being treated the same as everyone else in the
UK.
She reminded Vice President Šefčovič of the importance of
defending the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, and said that the
Commission bore a responsibility to show more pragmatism and
ensure the Protocol delivered on its original objectives.
The Foreign Secretary reiterated that the UK’s proposals to fix
the Protocol, including green and red channel arrangements,
backed up by a bespoke data-sharing system, would ensure the
removal of trade barriers between Great Britain and Northern
Ireland while protecting the EU single market.
The Foreign Secretary outlined why EU proposals would take us
backwards, by creating more checks and paperwork. Vice President
Šefčovič confirmed that there was no room to expand the EU
negotiating mandate or introduce new proposals to reduce the
overall level of trade friction.
The Foreign Secretary noted this with regret and said the
situation in Northern Ireland is a matter of internal peace and
security for the United Kingdom, and if the EU would not show the
requisite flexibility to help solve those issues, then as a
responsible government we would have no choice but to act.
