It’s time for International Secretary Liz Truss to play hardball with Brussels, writes former Brexit minister DAVID JONES










At a vital assembly on Thursday, International Secretary Liz Truss will meet the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator to debate Northern Eire’s future place in the UK.

Ever for the reason that UK departed the EU, it has turn out to be plain that the Northern Eire Protocol is inflicting large disruption to the lives of the individuals of that a part of our nation.

The Protocol was geared toward defending the EU Single Market, guaranteeing an open border on the island of Eire and thereby sustaining the soundness established by the Good Friday Settlement. 

However its operation in follow has been deeply damaging.

Northern Eire has been left behind the remainder of the UK, caught in a no-man’s land of EU bureaucratic management.

At a crucial meeting on Thursday, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will meet the EU's chief Brexit negotiator to discuss Northern Ireland's future place in the United Kingdom

At a vital assembly on Thursday, International Secretary Liz Truss will meet the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator to debate Northern Eire’s future place in the UK

Maintaining the border open with the Republic has resulted in one other border, within the Irish Sea, making commerce with the mainland a lot tougher. 

Items passing into Northern Eire are topic to burdensome checks, slowing up and generally destroying provide chains.

Meals provides have been hit. There are fears that it might turn out to be not possible to produce British-licensed medicines in Northern Eire.

No marvel there may be rising resentment, amid fears that the Protocol has modified the constitutional standing of Northern Eire with out the consent of its individuals.

In impact, the province has turn out to be an EU colony, topic to selections made by a overseas administration and to the jurisdiction of a overseas court docket: the European Court docket of Justice (ECJ).

That is insupportable and should finish. The truth is, the problem might be comparatively simply resolved.

Ever since the UK departed the EU, it has become plain that the Northern Ireland Protocol is causing huge disruption to the lives of the people of that part of our country. The Protocol was aimed at protecting the EU Single Market, ensuring an open border on the island of Ireland and thereby maintaining the stability established by the Good Friday Agreement. But its operation in practice has been deeply damaging

Ever for the reason that UK departed the EU, it has turn out to be plain that the Northern Eire Protocol is inflicting large disruption to the lives of the individuals of that a part of our nation. The Protocol was geared toward defending the EU Single Market, guaranteeing an open border on the island of Eire and thereby sustaining the soundness established by the Good Friday Settlement. However its operation in follow has been deeply damaging

The Centre for Brexit Coverage suggests a proposal for mutual enforcement of customs rules, whereby the UK and the EU would every take accountability for guaranteeing that no non-compliant items had been exported into the opposite’s territory, thus defending each inside markets. 

Though Brussels is providing comparatively small, beauty modifications, it refuses to change the substance.

Crucially, Liz Truss needs to see speedy progress towards resolving the problem. She has indicated that the menace to invoke Article 16 of the Protocol, in order to make unilateral modifications to it, stays reside.

The International Secretary’s star is within the ascendant. She attracted excessive reward at Worldwide Commerce for negotiating commerce offers. However Thursday’s talks will likely be of an entirely larger magnitude.

Ms Truss should clarify to the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator that the time has come for Northern Eire to be free of the insupportable constraints of the Protocol.

If her Brussels counterpart will not agree, the UK ought to set off Article 16. 

For what’s at stake is nothing lower than the very way forward for the UK as a nation.