Brexit: Dial down Northern Ireland Protocol rhetoric, says EU chief

The EU's chief negotiator has urged the UK to "dial down the rhetoric" on the Northern Ireland Protocol.

It comes after UK ministers refused to rule out legislation to override the protocol in UK law.

Maros Sefcovic said the UK needs to "be honest" about what they had committed to in the protocol.

He added that the EU has proposed "durable solutions" to improve the operation of the deal.

The protocol is a special Brexit deal for Northern Ireland designed to prevent the return of a hard land border with the Republic of Ireland.

It was agreed between the UK government and the EU in 2019, put into domestic law by the UK Parliament and came into force in January 2021.

It works by keeping NI inside the EU's single market for goods.

This means NI continues to follow some EU laws and there are new checks and paperwork for certain goods which are imported into NI from the rest of the UK.

Unionist parties say this undermine Northern Ireland's position in the UK.

The largest unionist party, the DUP, says it may prevent the creation of a new executive in Northern Ireland until protocol issues are resolved to its satisfaction.

The Northern Ireland Assembly elections cemented a majority for parties which accept the protocol.

The UK government has accused the EU of applying the protocol too rigidly, while Brussels accepts it is causing difficulties for businesses and has proposed a package of measures to reduce its practical impacts.

The BBC understands the government will signal its willingness to change the law on the protocol in Tuesday's Queen's Speech, without committing to do so immediately.

Speaking on Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said: "We cannot have the disruption that we've seen to trade flows between Northern Ireland and the rest of Great Britain and the impact that has on the constitutional integrity of the UK.

"That is itself what is putting at risk the Good Friday Agreement, and we have now got to fix it."

Mr Sefocovic said the UK should "show genuine determination and good faith to make the protocol work, rather than looking for ways to erode it".

He added that the EU has "an unshakeable and longstanding commitment to peace, stability and prosperity in Northern Ireland".

"It has absolutely no interest in interfering in the UK's internal affairs."