London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Feb 12, 2026

NI Protocol: Does Boris Johnson have support for bill?

NI Protocol: Does Boris Johnson have support for bill?

It was the most anodyne of sentences from Prince Charles.

No, nothing to do with what the heir to the throne may have said in private about the government's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.

This was a sentence he said in public, about the importance ministers attach to the "internal economic bonds" between all parts of the United Kingdom.

A month ago, the Prince of Wales deputised for the Queen at the State Opening of Parliament, and after much hullaballoo about whether there would be a planned new law about Northern Ireland and Brexit in the government's shopping list of planned new laws that day, there wasn't.

Just that one phrase, lightly hinting at something, without committing to it.

Well, a month on, that planned new law, a bill, is happening.

All of this is about what is known as the Northern Ireland Protocol.
In short, it was a thing bolted onto the Brexit deal between the UK and the European Union which tried to find a solution to borders.

Brexit is all about borders, about different rules either side of them.

But the land border between the EU and UK, between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland is open, as that is seen as crucial to maintaining peace.

So some stuff now gets checked when it gets moved from England, Scotland and Wales to Northern Ireland.

This is what some call a border in the Irish Sea.


This was agreed by the British government and the EU in an international agreement, but the government has now decided it is not working as it should, and wants to introduce a new domestic law to get rid of the bits it doesn't like.

That bill, the template for the planned new law, will be published on Monday.

And it will prompt a row.

When I went to Northern Ireland last month to report on the prime minister's visit to meet the political parties there, I described the challenge he faced as four dimensional diplomacy.

Well, here's the thing: it still is, and it has probably got more complex still.

Not only will this bill propose green lanes and red lanes for things crossing the Irish Sea into Northern Ireland: green lanes for things staying in Northern Ireland, red lanes for things going on into the Republic.

It will also seek to dilute the role of the European Court of Justice in overseeing the Protocol - a long standing irritation to some because it is the court of a foreign jurisdiction, with the potential to have an impact on the UK.

The bill will refer to it no longer being the "sole arbiter."

The European Court of Justice - the European Union's highest legal authority - is the only court that deal with disputes on the matter of EU law in Northern Ireland


Remember, though: the government did sign up to all this.

Ministers argue privately they were in a bind when they did so, desperate to get a Brexit deal over the line and with very few if any other palatable options.

They also claim the EU hasn't acted sufficiently flexibly.

Enter next, the Democratic Unionist Party. They are currently refusing to go into devolved government in Northern Ireland, until issues around the Protocol are sorted, as they see it.

And they are sounding pretty bullish. The mere publication of this bill doesn't sound like it will change much, although they are likely to acknowledge the government has done some heavy lifting to get this far.

Then, there is the EU.

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is set to discuss Northern Ireland on Monday with European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic


The Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will speak to Maros Sefcovic of the European Commission on Monday morning.

The EU has frequently pointed out this Protocol is something the UK signed up to.

Another moving part is Washington: for whenever Northern Ireland politics is big news, it gets political tongues wagging in DC.

And so the Northern Ireland Minister Conor Burns has flown to America, for the second time in a matter of weeks, a document - NI Protocol: The UK's Solution - under his arm.

He will be there until Thursday meeting political figures in Congress, the Senate and the State Department.

President Joe Biden has previously warned that peace in Northern Ireland must not be jeopardised as a result of complications caused by Brexit


President Biden has been repeatedly outspoken about the importance of the Protocol, so the government knows it has some persuading to do.

And now here is the added twist from a month ago: the internal dynamics of the Conservative Party.

A few weeks ago, some in government were briefing that their principal aim was sorting out the so-called Irish Sea border, with the green lanes and red lanes idea.

The governance of the deal, to use the lingo, the role of the European Court of Justice, mattered less.

Now, it is being talked up rather more prominently.

It is the view of some Conservatives that this is happening because of the Prime Minister's vulnerability.

Some argue some of the most passionate Brexiteers on the Tory benches are exploiting Boris Johnson's weakness to demand an approach to the EU likely to result in a bust up.

It is, one figure said to me, "the application of an English nationalist's idea of Brexit to a strategy to holding together the union" of the UK.

"It is law breaking, will annoy middle ground voters and the DUP position probably won't shift anyway," they added.

The DUP are blocking restoration of power-sharing with Sinn Fein led by Michelle O 'Neill


An internal note circulating among some Conservatives is blunt: "breaking international law to rip up the prime minister's own treaty is damaging to everything the UK and the Conservatives stand for… no amount of shopping around for rent-a-quote lawyers can hide that."

All of which raises the question of whether the prime minister can keep enough of his MPs on side to get this through, particularly in the short term if it doesn't lead to a return to full devolution in Northern Ireland.

So what happens next?

There is some talk in government of hoping to get devolution up and running again in Northern Ireland in the next six weeks or so and that the progress of the new law might slow down if the DUP doesn't show enough willingness to change its outlook.

But the DUP doesn't appear to be in any hurry, and wants to see action rather than words, even if those words are written down in a bill.

There is plenty more mileage in this whole row yet.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Document Suggests Prince Andrew Shared UK Briefing on Afghan Investment Opportunities with Jeffrey Epstein
We will protect them from the digital Wild West.’ Another country will ban social media for under-16s
McDonald's Shortens Breakfast Hours in Australia Due to Egg Shortage
Heineken announces cut of 6,000 jobs due to declining beer demand
Beijing Brands UK Hong Kong Visa Expansion ‘Despicable and Reprehensible’ After Jimmy Lai Sentencing
Tesco Chief Warns UK Is ‘Sleepwalking’ Toward a Joblessness Crisis
Trump’s ‘Act of Great Stupidity’ Comment on UK Chagos Deal Reverberates Through Diplomacy and Strategy
New U.S. filings say Jeffrey Epstein repaid Les Wexner one hundred million dollars after theft allegation
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick acknowledges 2012 visit to Jeffrey Epstein’s private island as lawmakers scrutinise past ties
Helsing and Stark Defence loitering-munition drones and Germany’s race to industrialise battlefield autonomy
UK orders deletion of Courtsdesk court-data archive, reigniting the fight over who controls public justice records
UK Police Review Fresh Claims Involving Prince Andrew as Senior Royals Respond to Epstein Files
Keir Starmer’s Premiership Faces Unprecedented Strain as Epstein Fallout Deepens
Starmer Vows to Stay in Office as UK Government Faces Turmoil After Epstein Fallout
China and UK Signal Tentative Reset with Commitment to Steadier, Professionally Managed Relations
UK Confirms Imminent Increase in ETA Fee to £20 as Entry Rules Tighten
UK Signals Possible Seizure of Russia-Linked ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker in Escalation of Sanctions Enforcement
Epstein Scandal Piles Unprecedented Pressure on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Leadership
UK’s ‘Most Romantic Village’ Celebrates Valentine’s Day and Explores the Festival’s Rich History
The Implications of Expanding Voting Rights to Non-EU Foreign Residents in France
Ghislaine Maxwell to Testify Before US Congress on February 9
Al.com Acquired by Crypto.com Founder for $70 Million
Apple iPhone Lockdown Mode blocks FBI data access in journalist device seizure
Belgium: Man Charged with Rape After Faking Payment to Sex Worker
KPMG Urges Auditor to Relay AI Cost Savings
US and Iran to Begin Nuclear Talks in Oman
Winklevoss-Led Gemini to Slash a Quarter of Jobs and Exit European and Australian Markets
Canada Opens First Consulate in Greenland Amid Rising Geopolitical Tensions
China unveils plans for a 'Death Star' capable of launching missile strikes from space
NASA allows astronauts to take smartphones on upcoming missions to capture special moments.
Trump administration to launch TrumpRx.gov for direct drug purchases
Investigation Launched at Winter Olympics Over Ski Jumpers Injecting Hyaluronic Acid
U.S. State Department Issues Urgent Travel Warning for Citizens to Leave Iran Immediately
Wall Street Erases All Gains of 2026; Bitcoin Plummets 14% to $63,000
Epstein Case Documents Reignite Global Scrutiny of Political and Business Elites
Eighty-one-year-old man in the United States fatally shoots Uber driver after scam threat
UK Royal Family Faces Intensifying Strain as Epstein-Linked Revelations Rock the Institution
Political Censorship: French Prosecutors Raid Musk’s X Offices in Paris
AI Invented “Hot Springs” — Tourists Arrived and Were Shocked
Tech Mega-Donors Power Trump-Aligned Fundraising Surge to $429 Million Ahead of 2026 Midterms
UK Pharma Watchdog Rules Sanofi Breached Industry Code With RSV Vaccine Claims Against Pfizer
Melania Documentary Opens Modestly in UK with Mixed Global Box Office Performance
Starmer Arrives in Shanghai to Promote British Trade and Investment
Harry Styles, Anthony Joshua and Premier League Stars Among UK’s Top Taxpayers
New Epstein Files Include Images of Former Prince Andrew Kneeling Over Unidentified Woman
Starmer Urges Former Prince Andrew to Testify Before US Congress About Epstein Ties
Starmer Extends Invitation to Japan’s Prime Minister After Strategic Tokyo Talks
Skupski and Harrison Clinch Australian Open Men’s Doubles Title in Melbourne
DOJ Unveils Millions of Epstein Files, Fueling Global Scrutiny of Elite Networks
France Begins Phasing Out Zoom and Microsoft Teams to Advance Digital Sovereignty
×