N Ireland Protocol situation is ‘very serious’: Johnson

THE situation surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol is now very serious, ritish Prime Minister oris ohnson indicated, after elections brought fresh political tensions to the region.

ohnson spoke to Irish premier Micheal Martin about the post- rexit arrangements on Tuesday.

In a Downing Street account of the call, the two leaders agreed on the vital importance of restoring the devolved institutions in Northern Ireland as soon as possible.

He also said that the balance of the elfast ood Friday Agreement was being undermined and the recent elections had further demonstrated that the protocol was not sustainable in its current form.

Despite repeated efforts by the UK government over many months to fix the protocol, including those sections related to the movement of goods and governance, the European Commission had not taken the steps necessary to help address the economic and political disruption on the ground, a Downing Street spokesman said.

The prime minister reiterated that the UK government would take action to protect peace and political stability in Northern Ireland if solutions could not be found. However, Irish deputy prime minister eo aradkar has warned the

ritish government against taking unilateral action on the protocol.

aradkar told broadcaster RTE e can’t have any unilateral action from the UK. This is an international agreement, they have to honour their obligations ... This is a democracy and an election just happened. The ritish prime minister and the secretary of state need to be wise to that, if they’re not already. In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic said renegotiation of the protocol was not an option and that unilateral action by the UK would make work on possible solutions more difficult. The EU has been open to joint work with the UK on implementing the protocol to bring long-term legal certainty and predictability to the people and businesses in Northern Ireland, he said.

The protocol, as a cornerstone of the ithdrawal Agreement, is an international agreement. Its renegotiation is not an option. The European Union is united in this position. ohnson and the Taoiseach Martin also discussed the need to restore powersharing in Northern Ireland following the Assembly elections.