Boris Johnson has insisted that Britain needs to press ahead with a law to override parts of the Northern Ireland protocol as an “insurance” against the failure of talks with the EU.
Speaking after [meetings with the leaders](https://archive.ph/UaNjH) of the five main parties at Stormont, the prime minister said none of them were happy with the operation of post-Brexit rules and Britain needed to work on a “legislative solution” to the problems.
Sinn Fein accused Johnson of “reckless” threats of unilateral action but the prime minister insisted that reforms to the protocol could allow the formation of a power-sharing government to deal with the cost of living crisis.
Boris Johnson on the Northern Ireland Protocol
Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, is due to announce to the Commons tomorrow that she is working on a law that would allow Britain to suspend parts of the protocol unilaterally, something the EU says would break international law.
Ireland has warned that the whole of Britain’s post-Brexit free trade deal with the EU would be jeopardised if Britain acted unilaterally, insisting that compromise was possible if Johnson shelved the threat.
But the UK government believes that that conditions for unilateral action have already been met because the way the protocol is working is endangering the Good Friday Agreement and prioritising trade between the north and south of Ireland over trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Downing Street says that while there is a “sensible landing spot” for talks, the EU has not been willing to re-word the protocol.
“We don’t want to scrap it, but we think it can be fixed,” Johnson said.
“None of the parties — I spoke to all five parties just now — not one of them likes the way it’s operating, they all think it can be reformed and improved — from Sinn Fein to SDLP, DUP, all of them.
“The question is how do you do that? We would love this to be done in a consensual way with our friends and partners, ironing out the problems, stopping some of these barriers east-west.
“But to get that done, to have the insurance, we need to proceed with a legislative solution at the same time.”
The DUP has [refused to allow the resumption](https://archive.ph/FFjqo) of the Northern Ireland executive in protest at the operation of the protocol, and Johnson insisted that “we need a a government, we need that executive formed”.
Protesters gather as Boris Johnson visits Northern Ireland
He said he had appealed to the DUP to join the executive, saying: “Everybody should be rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck into the government of Northern Ireland . . . We want to see you back in the executive.”
Sinn Fein, which emerged as the [largest party](https://archive.ph/Rm2MO) in this month’s election, accused Johnson of “shoring up the DUP’s bad behaviour” by demanding changes from the EU so that the largest unionist party would rejoin power-sharing.
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Mary Lou McDonald, the party’s president, said the meeting with Johnson had been “tough”, adding: “It’s very clear to us that despite all of the rhetoric from the British government about re-establishing the executive here in the north, that in fact their priority is placating the DUP.”
She said she had “said directly to [Johnson] that proposed unilateral act of legislating at Westminster is wrong”. “It seems to us absolutely extraordinary that the British government would propose to legislate to break the law. It’s an extraordinary proposal and one that would amplify the bad faith with which the Tory government has conducted itself from beginning of the entire Brexit debacle.”
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, leader of the DUP, accused Sinn Fein of “puerile nonsense” and said he wanted Johnson to act to ensure a fully functioning executive “as soon as possible”.
He said: “The tabling of legislation is words. What I need is decisive action. And that means I want to see the government enacting legislation that will bring the solution that we need. But let’s see what the government are prepared to do.”
Stephen Farry, deputy leader of the cross-community Alliance party, said: “We were giving [Johnson] a very clear warning that if he plays fast and loose with the protocol and indeed the Good Friday Agreement, then he is going to be adding more and more instability to Northern Ireland.”
Micheál Martin, [the taoiseach](https://archive.ph/y19Fp), said: “The UK government has issues but I can’t see any other way to resolve those issues other than through negotiations and substantive talks.”
He did not rule out negotiating directly with Johnson over the protocol but said in the “first instance” Britain had to deal with Brussels.
What an absolute mess. Can’t the DUP just take their seats at Stormont so we can end direct rule, let them govern themselves?
That is the only solution to this problem.
A giant ass, whose word has never meant anything. A weasel.
We need America to get involved. As one of the guarantors of the GFA we need them to isolate the British government through trade sanctions.
It’s not a failure of talks with the EU.
It’s a fucking failure by Boris and the brexit asshats to implement the protocol THEY agreed.
They lied repeatedly, they knew the issues, it’s either a soft border in the N sea or a hard border in IRELAND.
The only thing that was oven ready, is the shitshow we have now.
>Johnson insists on scrapping Northern Ireland protocol after Stormont talks
A protocol which the idiot negotiated just a couple of years ago and pronounced that it was the perfect solution despite being told it was idiotic and bound to fail by anyone with two functioning brain cells to rub together.
You would have to have a heart of stone not to laugh.
All because the DUP are holding Northern Ireland to ransom for a perceived sleight to their ‘Britishness’. This protocol is good for the NI economy and doesnt make the DUP any less British.
The DUP would see Northern Ireland’s economy in absolute tatters as long as those tatters were red, white and blue.
8 comments
Boris Johnson has insisted that Britain needs to press ahead with a law to override parts of the Northern Ireland protocol as an “insurance” against the failure of talks with the EU.
Speaking after [meetings with the leaders](https://archive.ph/UaNjH) of the five main parties at Stormont, the prime minister said none of them were happy with the operation of post-Brexit rules and Britain needed to work on a “legislative solution” to the problems.
Sinn Fein accused Johnson of “reckless” threats of unilateral action but the prime minister insisted that reforms to the protocol could allow the formation of a power-sharing government to deal with the cost of living crisis.
Boris Johnson on the Northern Ireland Protocol
Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, is due to announce to the Commons tomorrow that she is working on a law that would allow Britain to suspend parts of the protocol unilaterally, something the EU says would break international law.
Ireland has warned that the whole of Britain’s post-Brexit free trade deal with the EU would be jeopardised if Britain acted unilaterally, insisting that compromise was possible if Johnson shelved the threat.
But the UK government believes that that conditions for unilateral action have already been met because the way the protocol is working is endangering the Good Friday Agreement and prioritising trade between the north and south of Ireland over trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Downing Street says that while there is a “sensible landing spot” for talks, the EU has not been willing to re-word the protocol.
“We don’t want to scrap it, but we think it can be fixed,” Johnson said.
“None of the parties — I spoke to all five parties just now — not one of them likes the way it’s operating, they all think it can be reformed and improved — from Sinn Fein to SDLP, DUP, all of them.
“The question is how do you do that? We would love this to be done in a consensual way with our friends and partners, ironing out the problems, stopping some of these barriers east-west.
“But to get that done, to have the insurance, we need to proceed with a legislative solution at the same time.”
The DUP has [refused to allow the resumption](https://archive.ph/FFjqo) of the Northern Ireland executive in protest at the operation of the protocol, and Johnson insisted that “we need a a government, we need that executive formed”.
Protesters gather as Boris Johnson visits Northern Ireland
He said he had appealed to the DUP to join the executive, saying: “Everybody should be rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck into the government of Northern Ireland . . . We want to see you back in the executive.”
Sinn Fein, which emerged as the [largest party](https://archive.ph/Rm2MO) in this month’s election, accused Johnson of “shoring up the DUP’s bad behaviour” by demanding changes from the EU so that the largest unionist party would rejoin power-sharing.
Advertisement
Mary Lou McDonald, the party’s president, said the meeting with Johnson had been “tough”, adding: “It’s very clear to us that despite all of the rhetoric from the British government about re-establishing the executive here in the north, that in fact their priority is placating the DUP.”
She said she had “said directly to [Johnson] that proposed unilateral act of legislating at Westminster is wrong”. “It seems to us absolutely extraordinary that the British government would propose to legislate to break the law. It’s an extraordinary proposal and one that would amplify the bad faith with which the Tory government has conducted itself from beginning of the entire Brexit debacle.”
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, leader of the DUP, accused Sinn Fein of “puerile nonsense” and said he wanted Johnson to act to ensure a fully functioning executive “as soon as possible”.
He said: “The tabling of legislation is words. What I need is decisive action. And that means I want to see the government enacting legislation that will bring the solution that we need. But let’s see what the government are prepared to do.”
Stephen Farry, deputy leader of the cross-community Alliance party, said: “We were giving [Johnson] a very clear warning that if he plays fast and loose with the protocol and indeed the Good Friday Agreement, then he is going to be adding more and more instability to Northern Ireland.”
Micheál Martin, [the taoiseach](https://archive.ph/y19Fp), said: “The UK government has issues but I can’t see any other way to resolve those issues other than through negotiations and substantive talks.”
He did not rule out negotiating directly with Johnson over the protocol but said in the “first instance” Britain had to deal with Brussels.
*Chris Smyth, Whitehall Editor*
Monday May 16 2022, 7.50pm, The Times
[Brexit protocol row: what are the issues dividing UK and EU?](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/may/16/brexit-protocol-row-what-issues-dividing-uk-eu-northern-ireland)
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[Outstanding N Ireland protocol issues set scene for UK and EU clash](https://www.ft.com/content/2a16339b-f1cd-4be0-814e-aced9969b210)
([🪞 link](https://archive.ph/Wacnz))
–
[End row on protocol by using flexibility shown to Ukraine, Britain tells EU](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/northern-ireland-protocol-uk-eu-ukraine-boris-johnson-b2079489.html)
([🪞 link](https://archive.ph/zffat))
–
[Plan to scrap parts of Northern Ireland protocol is only an ‘insurance policy’, says Boris Johnson](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/may/16/plan-to-scrap-parts-of-northern-ireland-protocol-is-only-an-insurance-policy-says-boris-johnson)
–
[Sinn Féin says it got ‘no straight answers’ from Johnson](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2022/may/16/boris-johnson-northern-ireland-protocol-brexit-uk-politics-latest?page=with:block-6282628c8f08bf139622b4c7#block-6282628c8f08bf139622b4c7)
What an absolute mess. Can’t the DUP just take their seats at Stormont so we can end direct rule, let them govern themselves?
That is the only solution to this problem.
A giant ass, whose word has never meant anything. A weasel.
We need America to get involved. As one of the guarantors of the GFA we need them to isolate the British government through trade sanctions.
It’s not a failure of talks with the EU.
It’s a fucking failure by Boris and the brexit asshats to implement the protocol THEY agreed.
They lied repeatedly, they knew the issues, it’s either a soft border in the N sea or a hard border in IRELAND.
The only thing that was oven ready, is the shitshow we have now.
>Johnson insists on scrapping Northern Ireland protocol after Stormont talks
A protocol which the idiot negotiated just a couple of years ago and pronounced that it was the perfect solution despite being told it was idiotic and bound to fail by anyone with two functioning brain cells to rub together.
You would have to have a heart of stone not to laugh.
All because the DUP are holding Northern Ireland to ransom for a perceived sleight to their ‘Britishness’. This protocol is good for the NI economy and doesnt make the DUP any less British.
The DUP would see Northern Ireland’s economy in absolute tatters as long as those tatters were red, white and blue.