NI Protocol: Rebel Tories may use protocol bill to 'poke PM in eye'

A Democratic Unionist Party MP has warned rebel Conservative MPs not to oppose legislation on the NI Protocol as a way "to keep poking Boris Johnson in the eye".

Sammy Wilson told BBC News NI that such a move would be "childish" and "short-sighted".

Legislation had been expected to be published on Wednesday.

However, that date has slipped until at least Thursday, and the first reading could even be next week.

Mr Wilson said there were still aspects of the bill which his party have been briefed on with which they are not happy.

The trade deal - the NI Protocol - governs how goods enter Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK and was agreed by the UK government and the European Union following the Brexit vote in 2019.

It was designed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland when the UK left the European Union.

However, it led to new goods checks at Northern Ireland sea ports on some products from Great Britain, effectively creating a new trade border in the Irish Sea.

Unionist parties, including the DUP, argue that this has led to extra costs and unnecessary delays, as well as undermining the union between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

The BBC understands there is still some work being done on the legal text of the new protocol bill, which has yet to be signed off by ministers.

Liz Truss is said to be keen for the legislation to get through the Commons before the summer recess.

Speaking in London on Tuesday, Mr Wilson said there was "still some work to be done" on the bill.

"The important thing is that the issues which need to be addressed to. first of all, restore confidence in Northern Ireland, and secondly, give us the ability then to get an executive up and running needs to be dealt with."

Asked why he was was unhappy with the bill as it stands, Mr Wilson explained: "If you look at the headline issues in the bill I think the government has got the message we have been putting over, namely that sovereignty has been, and Northern Ireland's position within the UK has been, affected by the protocol, that the economy has been damaged and that relationships within the UK have been damaged.

"They've got that and that's in the headline of the bill, but how they address it will be in the detail of the regulations, and we haven't seen those yet. "

Addressing concerns over the effect that Conservative infighting could have on the protocol bill, Mr Wilson said: "We know that there are a number of people in the Conservative Party who were opposed to any change in the protocol anyway, and they talked about you know, breaking international law, though I think that issue has been addressed.

"But there's always a danger that for those who are dissatisfied with the result last night that they will try to keep poking Boris Johnson in the eye.

"One of the ways in which they may try to do that is by refusing to support the bill when it comes to the House of Commons.

"I hope that they're not as childish as that and as short-sighted as that."

Sinn Féin's Stormont leader Michelle O'Neill said "the Tories themselves are bad for workers and families".

"They brought us Brexit, they brought us all of this mess over the course of recent weeks and they've brought us now, their efforts that are deliberately attempting to over ride parts of the protocol that they themselves agreed, so breaching international law," she added.

"I believe that's going to continue over the course of this week.

"Their infighting is actually having an impact on people's lives here and that's not acceptable.

"The Tories' approach to pandering to the DUP is also not acceptable."

Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) MP Claire Hanna said there was a risk for Northern Ireland if the prime minister's focus "is not on the public good but doing whatever he can to please his backbenchers".

"Boris Johnson's days do seem to be numbered, and their failure to address his obvious deficiencies damages the Tories in the long term," she added.