NI protocol: Unilateral action by UK government 'could erode peace'

Unilateral action by the UK Government on the Northern Ireland Protocol could undermine the peace process, Ireland's foreign minister has said.

Mr Coveney said there was a need to address unionist concerns about the operation of the post-Brexit trading arrangements.

Meanwhile, UK Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the government would not be deterred from taking action.

The prime minister will visit Northern Ireland to speak to parties on Monday.

Mr Johnson's visit coincides with increased speculation that the UK government is poised to introduce legislation to strip away parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The protocol - now under fresh scrutiny following the 5 May assembly election - was designed to ensure free trade could continue across the Irish land border.

The election cemented a majority for assembly members who accept the protocol, including the new largest party, Sinn Féin, but it has been opposed by unionist politicians.

Following the election, the anti-protocol Democratic Unionist Party has refused to engage with the assembly.

A new administration cannot be formed without them.

Mr Coveney said the way to deal with the problems around the protocol was continued dialogue between the EU and UK.

He also warned that any move by London to walk away from the arrangements would "send headlines around the world that Britain is prepared to break international law".

"What I see at the moment is a British government making statements and briefing against the EU, and creating a lot of tension in my country, your closest neighbour, and also potentially being on the verge of making a decision that could fundamentally undermine the functioning of the institutions of the peace process in Northern Ireland," he told Sophy Ridge on Sunday on Sky News.

Mr Coveney said the EU was flexible and wanted compromise.

"What's happening at the moment has forced Ireland into taking a much more strident position and responding honestly to the unhelpful briefing that we're getting from very, very senior levels of the government this week.

He said the briefings "seems to be laying the groundwork for a decision, I believe, could be deeply harmful to the relationship between Britain and Ireland if we don't see sense in the next few days".

But Mr Kwarteng said the government's priority was political stability in Northern Ireland, adding "if that means re-looking at the protocol, we absolutely have to do that".

He said for the EU to launch a trade war with the UK would be "self-defeating".

"I don't think there is going to be a trade war. There has been a lot of talk, a lot of threats about what the EU will or won't do. That is up to them," he told the BBC's Sunday Morning programme.

The protocol, a part of the UK-EU Brexit deal which keeps Northern Ireland aligned with the EU single market for goods, puts a trade border in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The DUP has argued the protocol has eroded the foundations devolution has been built upon and undermined Northern Ireland's position in the UK.

The EU has acknowledged that the protocol has caused difficulties for Northern Ireland businesses and it put forward proposals in October to try to ease that burden - it said they would mean a reduction in paperwork and checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain.

However, last week the UK rejected these plans saying they would make things worse.

The prime minister is expected to say there is "no substitute for strong local leadership".

On Monday, Mr Johnson will say that the UK and EU's shared objective should be for a reformed protocol to enjoy a majority support when it faces a consent vote at Stormont in 2024.

The DUP's move to block the election of a speaker on Friday means the Northern Ireland Assembly cannot function.

The party said its actions sent a clear message about its opposition to the protocol.

On Saturday, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald accused the prime minister of being "in cahoots" with the DUP.

Ms McDonald said the protocol was going nowhere and both she and would-be first minister Michelle O'Neill would be telling Mr Johnson so on Monday.