UK threatens unilateral action on Northern Ireland Brexit deal

UK threatens unilateral action on Northern Ireland Brexit deal

Politics















Bloomberg

The UK escalated its threats over the post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, saying the European Union’s latest proposals on trading arrangements won’t work and signalling it’s prepared to take unilateral steps unless a new agreement can be negotiated.

The government “will not shy away from taking action to stabilise the situation in Northern Ireland if solutions cannot be found,” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement.

Months of talks with the European Union on the post-Brexit treaty had led to proposals that would “take us backwards” she said, arguing against introducing “more checks, paperwork and disruption.”

The warning — which could lead to the UK suspending parts of the Brexit deal it signed with the EU — risks triggering a diplomatic crisis that could lead to a trade war with its biggest trading partner.

Britain has long threatened to trigger Article 16, arguing that the protocol is disrupting trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK and jeopardising the Good Friday Agreement which helped to end years of sectarian violence in the region.

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has drafted legislation to enable the country to scrap