Ireland criticised Britain’s “unlawful” approach to Brexit on Monday, with Foreign Minister Simon Coveney saying he was “hugely” disappointed at the UK’s plans to rip up parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
MPs are preparing to vote for the first time on Monday afternoon on a new Northern Ireland Bill which would give the UK powers to unilaterally override the Protocol, which established checks on some goods moving between Great Britain and the region.
Although it will face opposition from some Tory MPs, the second reading of the Bill is expected to clear the Commons but is set to face lengthy delays in the House of Lords.
The move has triggered a fresh row with Brussels who have re-started legal action and is threatening a trade war with Britain unless it backs down.
In an escalation of the war of words on the Protocol, Mr Coveney issued a statement ahead of Monday’s vote, saying: “I am hugely disappointed that the British government is continuing to pursue its unlawful unilateral approach on the Protocol on Northern Ireland.
“This is not the way to find sustainable solutions to the genuine concerns of people and business in NI and only adds to uncertainty. I continue to urge the British government to return to constructive dialogue with the EU in pursuit of jointly agreed, long-lasting solutions.”
Despite the backlash, Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss insisted they still wanted to find a negotiated settlement to the problems with the Protocol, which they say are harming Northern Ireland businesses and undermining peace and political stability in the region.
But the Prime Minister turned up the heat on the EU by claiming that the new Bill could be in force before the end of the year.
Speaking to broadcasters at the G7 summit in Bavaria on Monday morning, Mr Johnson insisted: “We can do it fairly rapidly.”
Asked whether it could be in place by the end of the year, he told broadcasters: “Yes, we could do it very fast, Parliament willing.” He added however, that he was “optimistic” that the UK and EU could strike a new deal to avoid a trade war with Brussels.
The European Union re-started legal action against the UK earlier this month following the introduction of the legislation which seeks to end checks on some goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland and to end the oversight of the European Court of Justice.
Earlier on Monday the Environment Secretary George Eustice said the EU should be reassured that the UK’s plans will still see the single market protected.
He told Sky News that it would be “foolish” of the bloc to launch a trade war over the controversial changes and insisted they would not break international law.
“We are not breaking an agreement, we are bringing clarity to how it should be interpreted,” Mr Eustice said.
“What is legal is what Parliament deems legal through the legislation it passes,” he told Sky News.
“What we will do - and we can absolutely give them this guarantee - we will protect the interests of the EU single market in the way we legislate,” he said.
Ms Truss tweeted that the Bill will “fix the problems” that the post-Brexit arrangements in the region have caused.
But she echoed Mr Johnson’s sentiments, adding: “Our preference remains a negotiated outcome, but EU continues to rule out change to Protocol.”
The Democratic Unionist Party, which opposes the Protocol fearing it undermines the close ties between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, is refusing to nominate a speaker to the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont, paralysing the region’s government.
On Monday the Stormont DUP minister Edwin Poots said it will be a “significant step” if the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill gets through its second reading in the House of Commons but that the future looks “bleak” if it does not.
Asked if the DUP will be any closer to returning to Stormont if it gets through, Mr Poots told BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster programme: “In a sense, yes.”
He added that if it does not get through “I think that the future looks bleak”.
He said: “If it gets through today it is a significant step forward and we’d be working with Government to see what other steps can be taken in advance of legislation being fully applied.”
