Northern Ireland Protocol: ‘Long way to go’ warns Brexit minister Lord Frost

There is still “a long way to go” to reach resolution on the contentious Northern Ireland Protocol, Brexit minister Lord Frost has warned ahead of a meeting with his EU counterpart.

The Cabinet minister will meet with European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic in Brussels as the two sides prepare to embark on a fresh round of negotiations on the post-Brexit Irish Sea trading mechanisms.

On Wednesday, the EU tabled a range of proposals aimed at cutting the red tape the arrangements have imposed on moving goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

The plan did not address the removal of the European Court of Justice’s oversight function in the operation of the protocol, a key UK demand.

Ahead of the lunch meeting in Brussels, Lord Frost told Politico that the UK is studying the EU proposals “constructively”.

“Clearly they have proposed some changes; we do need to understand that detail, and we’ve begun that conversation, but there’s quite a long way to go,” he said.

Responding to claims that the UK is trying to tear up an international treaty, including allegations from former chief Downing Street adviser Dominic Cummings that it was always the intention to ditch the protocol, Lord Frost said the Government knew some elements of the arrangements would “possibly be difficult to make work in practice” and they were always viewed as “a little bit provisional and open to review”.

He insisted movement on the ECJ is needed.

“They will need to if we are to find a solution, there needs to be significant change if we are to get an agreed solution,” he said.

Rejecting a claim that the UK is acting in bad faith, the Brexit minister added: “Obviously the protocol was agreed at a particular moment. We knew that some elements of the protocol would possibly be difficult to make work in practice, and some aspects of it were left open for the discussions in 2020 and afterwards.

“I don’t think it’s surprising that we found that that was the case… the very fact that the protocol has a consent mechanism (in the Stormont Assembly) in it for four years’ time showed we recognised that it might be necessary to renew or otherwise consent for these arrangements.

“In that sense they have always been a little bit provisional and open to review.”

Mr Sefcovic has said the EU has stretched itself to offer far-reaching compromises but insisted he has no mandate to renegotiate the protocol.

“Now we should really do the last mile, work constructively with all the proposals we put on the table, put it finally to bed,” he told BBC Northern Ireland’s The View programme on Thursday night.

“I believe that we could be in the home stretch with our proposals on the table, and, as I said, let’s try to solve all these issues before Christmas because I think that would be the best Christmas gift we can give to the people of Northern Ireland.”

He added: “I have no mandate to renegotiate the protocol… the Withdrawal Agreement, protocol and trade and co-operation agreement, we signed it, we ratified it, it’s international law, and I think we should respect it.”