London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jun 20, 2025

Brexit: Von der Leyen rejects Boris Johnson bid to renegotiate Irish protocol

Brexit: Von der Leyen rejects Boris Johnson bid to renegotiate Irish protocol

EU has already proposed changes to lessen impact on Northern Irish citizens, say officials

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has rejected Boris Johnson’s move to renegotiate the Northern Irish protocol, raising the temperature of a simmering Brexit row.

“The EU will continue to be creative and flexible within the protocol framework. But we will not renegotiate,” she said after a call with the prime minister on Thursday.

EU sources said the call lasted about 30 minutes, and Von der Leyen made clear they spoke at Johnson’s request.

While not a surprise, her refusal – less than 24 hours after the government set out a plan to renegotiate a core part of the Brexit deal – is a blow to Johnson, who made repeated false claims that there would be no customs checks between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The EU has united against the UK blueprint to rewrite the Northern Irish protocol, a hard-fought agreement with Johnson in 2019 that created a customs border in the Irish Sea.

In an official readout of the prime minister’s call with Von der Leyen, a Downing Street spokesperson repeated the UK government’s case for renegotiation. “The prime minister set out that the way the protocol was currently operating was unsustainable. Solutions could not be found through the existing mechanisms of the protocol. That was why we had set out proposals for significant changes to it.

“He urged the EU to look at those proposals seriously and work with the UK on them. There is a huge opportunity to find reasonable, practical solutions to the difficulties facing people and businesses in Northern Ireland, and thereby to put the relationship between the UK and the EU on a better footing. They agreed to remain in touch.”

The prime minister made the same points in a separate call with Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel.

Johnson’s spokesperson said the prime minister “didn’t expect the EU to take such a purist and maximalist approach” to implementing the protocol but could not point to any breaches by Brussels of the agreement.

“There are real life issues that people are facing on the ground in Northern Ireland that need to be addressed,” the spokesperson said, adding that the government had launched a consultation intended to “slash Brexit red tape”.

Johnson’s spokesperson said the prime minister did not want the protocol scrapped “at this time”.

The UK’s attempt to renegotiate has exasperated EU decision-makers, who have already proposed changes to lessen the impact on Northern Irish citizens. Further tweaks remain possible, but the EU has ruled out a full-scale renegotiation.


In an unusually blunt statement, a German government spokesperson tweeted: “Is it too much to expect the [UK] to stand by what it has negotiated, signed and ratified.”

One EU diplomat said the Brexit minister, David Frost, had produced “a half-baked proposal” with difficult concepts. Lord Frost’s suggestion that traders should be trusted to move goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland with minimal oversight is opposed by Brussels, which thinks such a regime could be exploited by smugglers and firms playing fast and loose with two sets of rules.

The goal to rip the European court of justice out of the protocol has also fallen on stony ground. EU sources argue that Frost has incorrectly characterised the court’s role in the protocol, exaggerating its significance.

The protocol underscores that the court has sole responsibility for adjudicating on questions of EU law, a point officials say is a foundation stone of the EU’s legal order that cannot be changed.

The agreement also allows the British government to be sued in the European court of justice (ECJ), with one legal case already lodged by Brussels over alleged breaches.

UK sources think the ECJ is unusual in such an international treaty and fear the government’s margin for manoeuvre will be crimped by what is seen as the extreme inflexibility of the EU system.

Talks will continue between the two sides. “It would be a mistake to dismiss the political concerns, simply because [the UK] signed up to this,” said the diplomat, “although many of the concerns have been known since the beginning.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
UK Home Secretary Apologizes Over Child Grooming Failures
Trump Organization Launches 5G Mobile Network and Golden Handset
Towcester Hosts 2025 English Greyhound Derby Amid Industry Scrutiny
Gary Oldman and David Beckham Knighted in King's Birthday Honours
Over 30,000 Lightning Strikes Recorded Across UK During Overnight Storms
Princess of Wales Returns to Public Duties at Trooping the Colour
Red Arrows Use Sustainable Fuel in Historic Trooping the Colour Flypast
Former Welsh First Minister Addresses Unionist Concerns Over Irish Language
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
France Bars Israeli Arms Companies from Paris Defense Expo
King Charles Leads Tribute to Air India Crash Victims at Trooping the Colour
Jack Pitchford Embarks on 200-Mile Walk to Support Stem Cell Charity
Surrey Hikers Take on Challenge of Climbing 11 Peaks in a Single Day
UK Deploys RAF Jets to Middle East Amid Israel-Iran Tensions
Two Skydivers Die in 'Tragic Accident' at Devon Airfield
Sainsbury's and Morrisons Accused of Displaying Prohibited Tobacco Ads
UK Launches National Inquiry into Grooming Gangs
Families Seek Closure After Air India Crash
Gold Emerges as Global Safe Haven Amid Uncertainty
Trump Reports $57 Million Earnings from Crypto Venture
Trump's Military Parade Sparks Concerns Over Authoritarianism
Nationwide 'No Kings' Protests Challenge Trump's Leadership
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
Germany Holds First Veterans Celebration Since WWII
U.S. Health Secretary Dismisses CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee
Minnesota Lawmaker Melissa Hortman and Husband Killed in Targeted Attack; Senator John Hoffman and Wife Injured
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
×