The EU says the UK has not “correctly explained” the consequences of Brexit to suffering businesses, as it again ruled out major changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Michel Barnier hit out at the government, as he insisted the withdrawal terms it sought – not the checks introduced on Irish Sea trade – are to blame for empty shelves in supermarkets.
Michael Gove’s request for a two-year delay to further checks on food supplies, and before a likely ban on the imports of chilled meats from Britain, is almost certain to be rejected.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Mr Barnier said: “The difficulties on the island of Ireland are caused by Brexit, not by the Protocol” – adding “the Protocol is the solution.”
And, on the blizzard of new red tape for all post-Brexit trade, the chief Brexit negotiator, added: “Many of these consequences have not been correctly explained, they have been generally underestimated.”
“Brexit means Brexit,” he told a European Business Summit event, stealing the slogan coined by Theresa May, when she sought hard exit terms.
While there could be “technical solutions” for some of the problems becoming apparent, the Brexit negotiations were over and the rules must be respected.
The comments came as the Irish prime minister, Micheál Martin, called for both sides to “dial down the rhetoric” – warning Ireland risked being “collateral damage” in the row.
Many EU leaders are angry that the UK appears to be exploiting the controversy over its brief triggering of border controls in Ireland – over vaccine exports – to try to overturn the Protocol.
Keir Starmer also called for cool heads when Mr Gove meets Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission’s vice-president, saying: “There is increasing tension that needs to be de-escalated.”
In a hard-hitting reply to Mr Gove, Mr Sefcovic questioned why border control posts at ports in Northern Ireland were “not yet fully operational”, six weeks after Brexit was completed.
There were “very few identity checks” on goods, while “non-compliant consignments” were being accepted even if destined for the Irish Republic, he wrote.
Goods were entering Northern Ireland “without being declared or without valid certificates”, and the UK had “not fulfilled its obligation” to allow the EU real-time access to customs IT systems.
On the UK call for a two-year extension to ‘grace periods’, Mr Sefcovic said changes “cannot be agreed beyond what the Protocol foresees already”.
Boris Johnson’s spokesperson called the response “disappointing”, explicitly linking its call for a rethink to the row over the EU’s aborted invoking of Article 16.
“The Commission has failed to acknowledge the shock and anger felt across the community in Northern Ireland from its decision to trigger Article 16 and the need to take urgent steps to restore confidence as a result,” he said.
