London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 12, 2025

UK delays Brexit checks on goods entering from Ireland

UK delays Brexit checks on goods entering from Ireland

Rules due to come into force on 1 January postponed as act of ‘good faith’, says Brexit minister
The UK has delayed the introduction of imminent trade checks on goods moving from the island of Ireland to Britain, as both sides sought to take the sting out of the rancorous talks over post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland.

The Brexit minister, David Frost, signalled his acceptance that the negotiations with the EU would continue into the new year, issuing a statement saying the checks due to come into force on 1 January would be postponed as an act of “good faith”.

“The government believes that this pragmatic act of goodwill can help to maintain space for continued negotiations on the protocol,” Lord Frost said. “It also ensures that traders in both Ireland and Northern Ireland are not faced with further uncertainty while the protocol arrangements themselves are still under discussion.”

Frost spoke to his European commissioner counterpart, Maroš Šefčovič, on Wednesday and will speak again on Friday, with high expectation that the talks will be put on ice over the Christmas break.

Earlier this year, it had appeared that Downing Street was willing to blow up the negotiations by unilaterally suspending the arrangements on Northern Ireland by triggering article 16 of the deal.

But there has been a softening of approach in recent weeks, raising hopes of a settlement on what has been the thorniest Brexit issue for the past five years.

Under the tortuously negotiated protocol in the withdrawal agreement, Northern Ireland in effect stays in the EU’s single market and a customs border is drawn down the Irish Sea. But both sides have agreed that consequences on trade between Britain and Northern Ireland have been heavy.

This consensus had appeared to be in danger of imploding, however, after Frost responded to a new EU plan for the border that would cut the number of checks on goods by more than 50% by insisting that he needed a more thorough rewrite of the deal.

In recent weeks, however, Frost’s most contentious demand, that the European court of justice (ECJ) lose its role as arbiter of EU law in Northern Ireland, has been put on the backburner, sources said.

One senior UK official told journalists for European publications last week that the demand over the ECJ had been dropped, although the government later sought to distance itself from the briefing.

“If the negotiations fail it won’t be because the UK is insisting on taking the ECJ out of the protocol,” the official was reported as saying.

Despite the frantic denials of a U-turn, it is understood that the discussions between Frost and Šefčovič have indeed been more productive in recent weeks, with sources on both sides saying that a deal in the new year was looking more likely than not.

A deal on ensuring that medicines approved in the UK can continue to be used in Northern Ireland is particularly close, although the EU may still act unilaterally before the new year to deal with the issue if final agreement is not reached this week.

As it stands, most medicines entering from Great Britain would have to undergo batch testing at laboratories in Northern Ireland, a significant expense that would reduce supply. This problem also affects EU member states such as Malta, which sources many of its medicines from the UK.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
×