France and Germany get tough on Protocol

France and Germany ramp up pressure as leadership candidates say they back scrapping customs checks

France and Germany have piled pressure on Brussels to take a hard line over the Northern Ireland Protocol with the UK’S next prime minister. Paris and Berlin have warned the European Commission that EU member states will not agree to any concessions granted to whoever replaces Boris Johnson as Tory leader. Their tough approach ties the hands of the bloc’s negotiator, Maros Sefcovic, and heightens the risk of a trade war breaking out this autumn.

‘Truss wanted to do a quick deal with Brussels, but that soon changed when partygate happened’

FRANCE and Germany are piling pressure on Brussels to take a hard line over the Northern Ireland Protocol with the UK’S next prime minister.

Paris and Berlin have warned the European Commission that EU member states will not agree to any concessions granted to Boris Johnson’s replacement.

Their tough approach ties the hands of the bloc’s negotiator, Maros Sefcovic, and heightens the risk of a trade war breaking out this autumn.

The Tory leadership candidates have pledged to press ahead with planned legislation to scrap checks on goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Brussels says the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill is illegal, and has threatened to retaliate with lawsuits and the application of import tariffs to certain UK exports.

The Daily Telegraph understands that France and Germany have privately lobbied the European Commission not to give any ground when the new prime minister is elected.

They have warned that any watering down of the customs procedures risks creating a backdoor into their markets for goods made in Britain to different standards.

They further warned the commission that member states could respond by putting up trade barriers to the Republic of Ireland.

Any threat to effectively kick Dublin out of the bloc’s Single Market is so unthinkable that their warning is designed to ensure Brussels has no room for compromise.

Other EU states suspect that Germany has hardened its line on Northern Ireland recently to deflect internal criticism of its response to the war in Ukraine.

Emmanuel Macron, the French president, believes Brexit must be shown to be a failure and France has consistently advocated the toughest approach towards the UK’S relations with the EU.

The Protocol moved customs checks between Britain and the EU into the Irish Sea in order to avoid the need for a hard border on the island of Ireland.

But the problems it has caused have enraged Unionists and led to the DUP boycotting the Stormont Assembly, plunging the province’s politics in crisis.

Senior EU sources told have said the bloc would prefer to restart talks with a fresh face rather than deal with Liz Truss, who has been at the forefront of negotiations.

The Foreign Secretary, who is one of the frontrunners in the race to become the next prime minister, has taken the a tougher line on the Protocol than the other leadership hopefuls.

She initially adopted a conciliatory tone after taking over from the combative Lord Frost as the UK’S chief negotiator at the end of last year. But her position has significantly hardened in recent months and she has expressed growing frustration at the lack of movement in the talks.

EU insiders believe she deliberately dropped her friendly approach when it became clear that Mr Johnson may be ousted over “partygate” and other government scandals.

“She wanted to do a quick deal with Brussels, but that soon changed,” according to well placed sources.

EU bureaucrats argue that Ms Truss has dragged the DUP into the row with her demands that go well beyond reducing customs checks.

They say if the Northern Ireland Protocol were about restoring Stormont then it would not include plans to strip powers from the European Court of Justice and override EU state aid and VAT rules.

The legislation is being fast-tracked through the Commons this week and will then go to the Lords in the autumn, where it is expected to face stiff opposition.

During a debate yesterday, Michael Ellis, the Cabinet Office minister, said the Government hopes the EU will “change [its] mind” and accept Britain’s proposals.

Ian Paisley, the DUP MP for North Antrim, said that Ms Truss was the only Tory leadership candidate Unionists trusted to forge ahead with the Bill unaltered.

Brussels negotiators are pessimistic the UK’S position will change and are distrustful of all of the leadership contenders, who they suspect will pander to Eurosceptic Tory MPS.

“Of course we’re not expecting the UK’S approach to the Protocol to change overnight,” an EU diplomat said.

But some were pinning their hopes on the new prime minister wanting to solve the problem and thus being able claim a win before heading into the next general election, which is expected in January 2025.