Boris Johnson is ready to compromise UK demands for European judges to be removed from post Brexit Northern Ireland, in order seal a deal.
The Prime Minister has made the arbitration role of European Court of Justice, (ECJ) the new front in the battle with Brussels over Northern Ireland Protocol.
He and Lord Frost, the Brexit Minister, have argued that an internal court cannot rule on disputes in which they are involved, despite signing up for the plan last January.
According to the Times, Johnson is open to an agreement that would allow for an independent arbitration panel to be included in the post-Brexit deal.
The ECJ would remain a court for last resort, but it is unlikely that cases will need to be reopened after they have been resolved by the panel.
A UK source told the paper: ‘This is certainly something that we would be interested in looking at. It is exactly the type of compromise that could possibly be acceptable.
Yesterday, Mr Johnson stated that the Northern Ireland Protocol needs to be reformed ‘pretty quick’ during a trip to Ulster.
The Prime Minister has made the arbitration role of European Court of Justice, (ECJ), the new battlefront in the Brussels-based row over the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The protocol has created new economic barriers on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland and a major political headache for the Government, as unionists are furious at what they perceive as a weakening of the Union
The UK and EU reached an agreement on the Northern Ireland Protocol to get around the major obstacle to Brexit divorce talks: the Irish land border.
It did this by shifting regulatory and Customs checks and processes to Ireland Sea.
The arrangements have placed new economic barriers to goods being moved from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
This has caused disruption for many businesses in Northern Ireland. It has also created a major problem for the Government as loyalists and unionists are furious at what is perceived as a weakening Union.
As part of its efforts to end the ongoing row, the EU made significant concessions last week regarding goods entry to Northern Ireland from Great Britain.
The European Commission offered to reduce regulatory checks by 80 percent and drastically reduce customs procedures for British goods that move to Northern Ireland.
The plan did not address a crucial UK demand, namely the removal of oversight functions of the ECJ.
Speaking to the media in Northern Ireland Mr Johnson stated that he believed there was a problem with the protocol and that it needed to be addressed.
“We can’t keep going with this question forever, because it is affecting real persons and real lives, and real business right now because of how the protocol has been interpreted.”
He said: “I don’t think it is compatible with the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, because the way it’s being used creates these unnecessary checks down to the Irish Sea.
“So we must flush it out pretty quickly and we must change the causes of this problem and not just the symptoms. I believe we should move pretty fast.