Trade war fear as Brussels threatens UK in Brexit row
MINISTERS are bracing for a trade war after Brussels threatened to hit the United Kingdom with “all measures at its disposal” in the Brexit row over customs checks.
The EU reacted furiously following UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss’s confirmation that the Government is drawing up legislation to overhaul the Brexit withdrawal deal.
Respond
It is designed to curb EU meddling in trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, she said. But European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic said: “Should the UK decide to move ahead with a bill disapplying constitutive elements of the protocol, the EU will need to respond with all measures at its disposal.
“Our overarching objective is to find joint solutions within the framework of the protocol.
“That is the way to ensure legal certainty and predictability for people and businesses in Northern Ireland.
“The European Commission stands ready to continue playing its part, as it has from the outset.” Downing Street officials signalled that the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary were standing firm in the face of threats.
Boris Johnson’s spokesman said: “We absolutely understand the EU’s position but we disagree with their assessment of the protocol and how to address it.
“We have been discussing this for around 18 months – that is why the Foreign Secretary and the Prime
Minister have taken the decision to move ahead. We will continue to engage with our EU partners about this important issue.”
On a visit to west London yesterday, Mr Johnson said: “Of necessity we can make some changes, I think, to the protocol. It makes it very clear on the face of the text that we should ensure the east-west trade and the integrity of the UK internal market.
“So let’s fix it.We don’t want to nix it, we want to fix it, and we will work our hardest to do it.”
The protocol keeps Northern Ireland aligned with the EU single market for goods, avoiding a hard border with the Republic of Ireland.
The Democratic Unionist Party has refused to join the power-sharing administration in Northern Ireland until reforms are made to the deal, which it says treats the country differently to the rest of the UK.
Introduce
In a Commons statement, Ms Truss told MPs the EU’s zealous imposition of customs checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea was putting Northern Ireland’s peace process at risk.
She said: “The Belfast Good Friday Agreement is under strain. I am announcing our intention to introduce legislation in the coming weeks to make changes to the protocol.
“To respond to the grave and serious situation in Northern Ireland, there is a necessity to act to ensure the institutions can be restored as soon as possible. We remain open to further talks if we can achieve the same outcome through negotiated settlement.”