Brexit: UK and EU chief negotiators to meet for NI talks

The UK and EU's chief negotiators will meet later as it appears talks on Northern Ireland will continue into next year.

Lord Frost and Maroš Šefčovič will meet virtually as a Covid precaution.

They will look at issues including how to guarantee the supply of medicines from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

On Thursday, Ireland's Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said it was unlikely all issues linked to the protocol can be resolved by the end of the year.

The protocol was agreed by the UK and EU in October 2019 as a way to avoid a hardening of the Irish land border.

It leaves Northern Ireland in the EU's single market for goods, meaning goods can flow freely with the Republic of Ireland.

However, goods arriving into Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK are now subject to checks and control, amounting to an "Irish Sea border".

The EU has proposed reforms to improve the operation of the protocol.

However, the UK wants more fundamental change, including removing the European Court of Justice from an oversight role.

The EU brought forward proposals earlier this year which it said would tackle the medicines issue.

Mr Šefčovič said: "I would 100% prefer if we can present this good solution as a joint approach.

"But I'm fully conscious of time.

"I have to be very, very clear that we are ready to move on our own if it's not possible at this stage to push on a joint approach."

The UK is continuing to threaten the use of the Article 16 mechanism if agreement cannot be reached on all protocol issues.

It allows parts of the deal to be unilaterally suspended if they are causing serious problems or leading to diversion of trade.