Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove will meet Maros Sefcovic, vice-president of the European Commission, to discuss the Northern Ireland Protocol in what is set to be a fiery discussion. Under the terms of the Brexit deal agreed by Boris Johnson, some checks now exist on trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, infuriating Unionists.
The EU has now accused Britain of failing to properly enforce these checks and is demanding tougher action.
In a letter to the British Government, Mr Sefcovic complained customs posts in Northern Ireland are “not performed in compliance with the Withdrawal Agreement” with “very few identity checks”.
He claimed Border Control Posts based in Northern Irish ports were “not yet fully operational”.
However, there is a growing unionist campaign within Northern Ireland against any checks existing on trade with Great Britain.
Campaigners are demanding the UK scrap the Northern Ireland protocol in its entirety, as the EU threatened to do during a row over coronavirus drugs.
Graffiti has been reported across loyalist areas demanding “No Irish Sea border” whilst customs officials have been targeted with threats.
Reform Party leader Nigel Farage has backed the unionist demand and called for existing checks to be scrapped.
On Twitter, the BBC’s political correspondent Laura Kuenssberg warned the two sides appear to be deadlocked.
Writing yesterday evening on Twitter, she said: “UK and EU meeting to talk how the Northern Ireland protocol is working tomorrow.
“EU letter to Gove doesn’t give impression there’s any breakthrough in the offing.”
Northern Ireland first minister Arlene Foster, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, has urged the Government to suspend the Northern Ireland protocol to allow unrestricted trade.
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The EU has been sent a stern warning by Bank of England Governor Andrew Baily who said now is not the time to pick a fight with the UK on finance.
Mr Bailey urged Brussels to back away from a spat with Britain concerning trade in financial services after Brexit. He accused the bloc of levelling greater demands against London than other partners.
He that the EU has granted long-term market access for securities clearing houses from the US but not for their UK counterparts even though they comply with the same rules.
The banking chief said: “The EU has argued it must better understand how the UK intends to amend or alter the rules going forwards.
“This is a standard that the EU holds no other country to and would, I suspect, not agree to be held to itself.”
07.35am update: Ursula von der Leyen admits NI coronavirus vaccine row was ‘mistake
Ursula von der Leyen admitted “mistakes were made” by the EU in trying to secure coronavirus vaccines, after causing a row in Northern Ireland after trying to override the Brexit trade deal.
Speaking in a plenary debate in the European Parliament, the European Commission President launched a defence of the EU’s approach to coronavirus vaccines.
Ms von der Leyen was blasted by Irish officials for the Commission triggering Article 16 of the Brexit trade deal’s Northern Ireland Protocol to stop vaccine trade between the Irish states.
Ms von der Leyen said to MEPs she “deeply regretted” the Commission’s actions in Ireland.
