Britain and EU both hopeful of deal to end Brexit row over Northern Ireland as Liz Truss allies say Brussels is ‘waking up’ to the threat of meltdown with Stormont election deadline this month
- There are increasing hopes of a deal to end the Brexit row over Northern Ireland
- Britain confident EU has now been convinced of ‘how serious’ the crisis could be
- Elections are due in Northern Ireland if power-sharing isn’t restored by 28 Oct
There are increasing hopes of a deal to end the Brexit row over Northern Ireland with Britain and the EU set to resume negotiations.
The Government is confident Brussels has now been convinced of ‘how serious’ the crisis in Northern Ireland could become without a breakthrough this month.
One source said EU chief Ursula von der Leyen had begun to ‘get it’.
Liz Truss has been pushing ahead with legislation at Westminster to unilaterally scrap parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
But the Prime Minister has also recently restated her preference for a negotiated solution to the dispute over post-Brexit trading arrangements.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic are expected to meet in the next fortnight for Protocol talks.
The focus on reaching a deal has been increased by a looming deadline at the end of this month.
Fresh elections are due in Northern Ireland unless a new power-sharing government can be formed at Stormont before 28th October.
Allies of the PM are confident Brussels has now been convinced of ‘how serious’ the crisis in Northern Ireland could become without a breakthrough this month
A senior UK Government source told MailOnline that Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, was now ‘getting it’ over the seriousness of the crisis
Fresh elections are due in Northern Ireland unless a new power-sharing government can be formed at Stormont before 28th October
The DUP is currently blocking the functioning of Stormont institutions as part of their protest against the Protocol, which they believe threatens their position in the UK due to trade barriers across the Irish Sea.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris last month warned the prospect of a pre-Christmas election was not an ‘idle threat’.
One senior UK Government source told MailOnline that Ms von der Leyen, the European Commission President, was now ‘getting it’ over the seriousness of the crisis in Northern Ireland.
‘We and (Irish Prime Minister) Micheal Martin have been double-teaming the EU on the need for quick progress,’ they said.
‘The deadline is 28th October, we have to call elections after that. And that creates huge risk as no-one knows whether Sinn Fein would boycott them.
‘Even if the DUP manages to get more support then would Sinn Fein be willing to take deputy first minister after the Unionists refused?
‘Ursula von der Leyen didn’t seem to understand how serious this could be but there are signs she is getting it now.
‘There is a landing zone but we need to find it quickly.’
The Protocol, which is designed to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, allows Northern Ireland to effectively remain in the EU’s Single Market.
Both the UK Government and Unionists in Northern Ireland have attacked the ‘bureaucratic’ checks being imposed on goods moving across the Irish Sea.
Mr Cleverly and Mr Sefcovic held a ‘good conversation’ over the phone last week during which they agreed to meet for Protocol talks soon.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic are expected to meet in the next fortnight for Protocol talks
The Times reported fresh negotiations could see the UK Government give ground on its insistence the European Court of Justice has no role in policing the Protocol
The EU is also said to be ready to cede ground on checks on goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
An EU source told the newspaper: ‘It is not in either side’s interest to have this hanging over us when we have bigger issues to contend with where we need to be co-operating.
‘Until we get into the details… we can’t be certain that we can make it work, but there is a new willingness.’
Ireland’s Foreign Minister Simon Coveney was due to meet Mr Cleverly for dinner in London tonight, while he and Mr Heaton-Harris will co-chair a British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference tomorrow.
Ahead of his trip to London, Mr Coveney said the ‘mood music’ over the Protocol row had ‘changed quite fundamentally’.
‘We will work on not only the relationships to rebuild trust, but also work on solutions in a practical way, and I think that process very much starts in earnest this week,’ he added.
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