DUP urges Johnson to put plans on scrapping Protocol into law
BORIS JOHNSON has been warned by the DUP that plans to override the Northern Ireland Protocol, due to be announced today, may not convince them to agree to power-sharing in Stormont.
The Prime Minister is expected to approve a law that will allow the UK unilaterally to suspend parts of the agreement, which sets post-brexit trade rules in the province.
However, the Government is not expected to either publish in full the piece of legislation it is preparing, or lay it before Parliament.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the leader of the DUP, which is refusing to join the Northern Ireland Executive without major changes to the Protocol, yesterday indicated it was not enough.
Speaking after talks with Mr Johnson in Belfast, Sir Jeffrey said: “I don’t see much point of having legislation if you don’t table it. Legislation only becomes law when it is enacted by Parliament.”
He added later: “The tabling of legislation is words. What I need is decisive action. I want to see the Government enacting legislation that will bring the solution that we need.”
The comments suggest that the DUP may only change its position on powersharing once the proposed legislation is passed into law, which officials fear could take more than a year.
A Foreign Office source familiar with the plans suggested that the legislation would be published before the summer.
The Prime Minister spent the day in Belfast yesterday talking to the leaders of five political parties in an attempt to secure a power-sharing deal in Stormont, after Sinn Fein won the Northern Irish elections earlier this month.
The Protocol was an agreement struck between the UK and Brussels to keep the land border on the island of Ireland open after Brexit, with customs checks instead carried out on goods passing across the Irish Sea.
Mr Johnson said that all five political parties wanted reforms to how the Protocol was working.
The Prime Minister publicly confirmed he backed a push led by Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, to work up a new law, saying the UK would move forward with a “legislative solution”.
Mr Johnson said of the Protocol: “We don’t want to scrap it but we think it can be fixed. Five of the five parties I talked to today also think it needs reform.”
Ms Truss is due to make the announcement on the legislation to the Commons today, providing she secures sign-off from the Cabinet.
The Foreign Secretary yesterday had a call with Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, who
‘What I need is action. I want to see the Government enact legislation that will bring the solution we need’
has warned the UK against reneging on its Brexit obligations.
Among a number of aims of the legislative move is convincing the DUP to agree to share power in Stormont, but an immediate breakthrough on that front looks unlikely.
One source familiar with the DUP leadership’s thinking said: “If the Government thinks that by saying they’re going to publish something that will resolve the problems in Northern Ireland, then no, they won’t. That is not going to cut it for people.
“Boris has already made commitments and hasn’t delivered them. Most people will say ‘sorry, we’ve been here before. Once bitten, twice shy’.”
Lord Dodds, the former DUP leader, said: “The mood within Unionism is very clear now. It’s either the Protocol or it’s the Belfast/good Friday Agreement, you can’t have both.”
Mary Lou Mcdonald, the Sinn Féin president who opposes the UK taking unilateral action over the Protocol, criticised Mr Johnson after their meeting.
Ms Mcdonald said: “We did not manage to convince him of the error of his ways, but be very, very clear that we will persist on these matters.”
European Union figures are expected to spell out the consequences of the UK’S new move once it is announced today.
Simon Coveney, Ireland’s foreign minister, who was in Brussels yesterday for talks with EU counterparts, warned that the entire UK-EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement deal, the TCA, could be jeopardised if Mr Johnson takes unilateral action on the Protocol.
Mr Coveney said: “This is a time for
‘Boris has already made commitments and hasn’t delivered. Most people will say once bitten, twice shy’
compromise and partnership between the EU and the UK to solve these outstanding issues.”
Liz Truss spoke to her EU counterpart Maros Sefcovic on the phone last night ahead of the publication of her plans to override the Protocol.
“I was clear that the UK Government’s priority is upholding the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, and getting the NI Executive back up and running,” she said afterwards.
“We need to ensure equal treatment for the people of NI to bring parity with the rest of the UK.”