David Frost hits out at EU’s fast ‘resort to threats’ in Northern Ireland talks
Boris Johnson’s UK-EU minister has slammed the EU for its “fast resort to threats” in post-Brexit negotiations over Northern Ireland, telling Brussels to “dial it down”.
Lord David Frost told a Westminster committee today that talks with the EU over how to implement the Northern Ireland Protocol had progressed in “one or two areas”, but that time was running short to strike a deal.
Northern Ireland still follows the EU’s customs union and single market rules, unlike the rest of the UK, in order to avoid a hard border with the Republic of Ireland.
This has created a so-called border in the Irish Sea, which has infuriated parts of the Northern Ireland unionist community.
The UK and the EU are locked in tense negotiations over how to administer the Northern Ireland Protocol, with Frost calling for less checks on goods travelling between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The UK has argued that the EU’s strict regime on checks is damaging businesses in Northern Ireland and eroding trust in unionist communities.
Brussels does not want unchecked goods, like food and medicine, to enter its single market, with officials saying they are following the protocol to the letter of the law.
French President Emmanuel Macron recently said “everything is applicable” in the protocol and that “nothing is negotiable”, before having a reportedly fiery exchange with Johnson at the recent G7 summit.
“Sometimes it feels like the resort to threats [by the EU] is a bit quick and we don’t make threats in quite the same way as I think some players in the EU do and I think if we can dial that down a bit that would help,” Frost said.
When asked if France had been particularly difficult to deal with among the EU countries, Frost said: “The issue with France is we have a huge amount of interest in France, because of where they are and because they’re the EU’s other main global player.
“We have a lot of positive interests with France, a lot of goods moving through the customs border at French ports. There’s fishing, there’s the question of small boats, there’s a lot.”
One of the key issues being discussed is the EU’s ban of chilled meats, like sausages and minced beef, crossing from Great Britain to Northern Ireland that is due to begin at the end of June.
Johnson has threatened to flout this ban and unilaterally trigger Article 16, which would suspend the Northern Ireland Protocol and severely inflame tensions.
European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic said this action would lead to a trade war.
European commissioner for financial services Mairead McGuinness today said the UK-EU relationship must be “built on trust”.
“We are waiting for the UK to choose between the two paths Maros Sefcovic described last week,” she said.
“The first is deciding to work together with the EU by abiding by its obligations and engaging in good faith.
“The second path is if the UK continues to act on a unilateral basis. We hope the UK will choose the first, more appropriate and sustainable paths.”