London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

PM calls on EU to address Brexit issues in Northern Ireland on eve of new paper

PM calls on EU to address Brexit issues in Northern Ireland on eve of new paper

Boris Johnson speaks to taoiseach hours before he publishes a blueprint aimed at re-engineering protocol
Boris Johnson has called on the EU to “address the serious issues that have arisen” with Brexit in Northern Ireland just hours before he publishes a blueprint aimed at re-engineering the protocol he signed up to in 2019.

He was speaking to Micheál Martin on the eve of the publication by the Brexit minister, David Frost, of a “command paper” on the Northern Ireland protocol.

The paper, which is described by sources as “meaningful” and “significant”, is expected to be robust and will revisit the UK’s desire to eliminate checks on goods ranging from car parts to fresh food including sausages.

According to reports the blueprint will include a proposal for an “honesty box” approach whereby it is accepted on trust that goods from big supermarkets, or other trusted suppliers, destined for Northern Ireland are accepted as remaining in the region.

This is unlikely to be accepted by the EU given their recent protestations that the UK has eroded trust by taking unilateral decisions on the protocol.

The Financial Times reported on Tuesday night that another strand of the proposals is expected to seek to remove any role for the European Commission or the European court of justice in the operation of the Northern Ireland protocol.

Lord Frost told a Commons select committee on Monday that the EU had started to discuss the UK’s proposal for a veterinary deal based on the two sides maintaining equivalent animal and food standards.

This has been rejected as a solution previously but Frost said it was “very good” the EU had started to look at it.

But such a deal would mean serious gaps in other areas on border checks, which Frost is expected to fill in for a command paper published at lunchtime on Wednesday.

Until now the EU has urged the UK to sign up to a so-called veterinary agreement, which it said would mean 80% of checks on west-east trade across the Irish Sea would be abolished but only if the UK dynamically aligned with the EU rulebook.

In turn the UK has called on the EU to ease up on what it claims is an inflexible approach.

A Downing Street spokesperson said Johnson told the Irish taoiseach the protocol was “causing significant disruption” and that pragmatism was needed to solve the post-Brexit issue.

The spokesperson said of the Johnson’s phone call with Martin: “He made clear the UK government’s commitment to protecting the Belfast [Good Friday] agreement in all its dimensions.

“He said the EU must show pragmatism and solutions needed to be found to address the serious challenges that have arisen with the protocol.

A spokesperson for the taoiseach told Johnson that the UK’s statements on the protocol would be carefully considered but stressed the importance of the EU-UK framework for issues related to the protocol.

Peter Shirlow, a professor of Irish studies at the University of Liverpool, called on negotiators on both sides to stop using the Good Friday agreement as a negotiating tool as if one side’s commitment was in question.

“Protecting the GFA cannot be rhetorical,” he said.

In a 74-page report on the Northern Ireland protocol, Responding to tensions or enacting opportunity, he said: “We need political maturity and political actors should use the Protocol as a re-set moment in which they map out a vision for the NI and thereby Irish and GB economies.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×