Leaders from across the European Union (EU) on Tuesday warned British Prime Minister (PM) Boris Johnson against scrapping the Northern Ireland Protocol, which aims to protect the bloc’s single market.
Belgian PM Alexander De Croo said that the EU’s position on the protocol was “quite clear” and that any effort to override it would be unwelcome. “Don’t touch this, this is something we agreed on,” he added, referring to talks on resolving the impasse over the post-Brexit agreement.
BREAKING: Boris Johnson warns he is prepared break international law over the Northern Ireland Protocol. That’s it. That’s the tweet. Tomorrow he will condemn other countries from his moral high horse, on how they should never break international law, or suffer the consequences.
— Dr. Jennifer Cassidy 🇺🇦 (@OxfordDiplomat) May 10, 2022
Similarly, Irish PM Micheál Martin told Johnson that he is seriously concerned over reports that the United Kingdom (UK) planned on scrapping the protocol and warned him not to take any unilateral action in this regard.
The harshest critic of Johnson was German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who said that any change to the protocol is not viable. “No one should unilaterally cancel, break or in any way attack the settlement we have agreed together,” Scholz stated. He added that this is because the post-Brexit settlement is a “complex issue” and the protocol deals with the “peaceful development of Ireland.”
Theresa May warns Boris Johnson against plans to override Northern Ireland protocol
— Steven Swinford (@Steven_Swinford) May 10, 2022
'I think Government needs to consider not just immediate issues but wider sense of what such a move would say about the UK and its willingness to abide by treaties'
Johnson looks dismissive pic.twitter.com/20a02PLYiS
“It has always been important that we find a comprehensive solution that meets all these requirements at the same time, and that is what we are committed to, without change,” he stressed.
The comments by EU leaders follow threats by Johnson to revoke the contentious protocol. Johnson told Martin on Tuesday that the treaty is “not sustainable in its current form” and that he would seek to alter elements of the protocol “unless the EU radically changes its approach.”
Moreover, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is reportedly preparing a draft resolution for scrapping parts of the treaty. The Queen also demanded scrapping certain provisions of the protocol during a speech on Tuesday.
Would be an interesting move for a UK Foreign Secretary to declare the US and EU wrong, the views of Northern Ireland voters irrelevant, and trade conflict with our key partners a good thing. All because of an international treaty she voted for.
— David Henig 🇺🇦 (@DavidHenigUK) May 10, 2022
Not a good look. https://t.co/P9pSwX877j
The EU issued a statement rejecting the Queen’s speech and underscored that the Northern Ireland Protocol is an “integral part” of the agreement reached following the UK’s withdrawal from the bloc in 2020. “Only joint solutions will work. Unilateral action by the UK would only make our work on possible solutions more difficult,” the statement read. It added that renegotiating the treaty is “not an option” and that the bloc is “united in this position.”
The Northern Ireland Protocol was drawn up to protect the Union’s single market amid Britain’s exit from the bloc and avoid maintaining a politically-sensitive hard border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK but remains part of the EU’s single market, and the Republic of Ireland, which is an EU member country. The protocol has created a new border in the Irish sea that has angered the province’s pro-British unionists.
Sinn Féin's win in Northern Ireland this week is historic -- puts front and center the possible reunification of Ireland.
— Donie O'Sullivan (@donie) May 6, 2022
Sinn Féin leader @MaryLouMcDonald tells CNN's @bianca_nobilo that within the next decade there will be a vote on the reunification. pic.twitter.com/WlNKd8N7hL
The agreement led to a rift between the two sides, with the UK trying to renegotiate a new deal for the past six months. Britain has been demanding the removal of customs controls on goods being transported from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland. However, the EU says this demand would open a backdoor for British goods to enter the bloc’s single market unchecked.
The UK’s threats came as the pro-unification Sinn Féin party came to power in Northern Ireland’s elections last week. The democratic socialist party seeks to unify Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland and has promised to hold a referendum on the matter. A reunification would make Northern Ireland a part of the EU, which the British government desperately wants to avoid.