London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 26, 2025

UK criticised by EU and Ireland for breach of trust over Northern Ireland Protocol changes

UK criticised by EU and Ireland for breach of trust over Northern Ireland Protocol changes

The UK government has been criticised by both the EU’s finance chief, Mairead McGuinness, and Ireland’s Foreign Minister Simon Coveney for a breach of trust over unilateral changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol.

McGuinness and Coveney expressed their outrage over the breach of trust a day after the UK unilaterally extended a grace period for checks on imports to Northern Ireland, in what the EU sees as a violation of the Brexit withdrawal agreement.

Speaking to Irish broadcaster RTE, McGuiness warned that it raises questions over whether the EU and other political blocs or countries can trust the UK to negotiate in good faith, laying out how their “experience has been not an easy one.”

"When something happens that is not appropriate and indeed in our view breaches both trust and an international agreement, then we have to call it out."


Ireland’s foreign minister reiterated this position in an interview with the same news outlet, declaring that the “EU are negotiating with a partner they simply can’t trust,” stating that this isn’t the first time the UK has behaved in a manner that the political bloc has deemed untrustworthy.

Coveney laid out how the UK government’s decision to, in the EU’s view, break the Northern Ireland Protocol and their own commitments again is forcing the bloc to look at legal options that might need to be invoked to ensure that Britain sticks to the agreements it has made with the EU.

The UK government has defended the unilateral move to extend the grace period, claiming it is a temporary measure that is required to allow businesses that trade in the region to adapt and adopt the new rules, without causing significant disruption.

This dispute comes weeks after the EU itself sought to invoke Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol in an attempt to override parts of the deal over a row about Covid-19 vaccine deliveries.

European leaders swiftly backtracked on the attempts to introduce export controls on Northern Ireland but only after international outrage, including Northern Ireland’s First Minister Arlene Foster, who called it “an incredible act of hostility” and an intervention from the United States, which sided with the UK over the EU.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×