Brexit Minister Lord Frost has reportedly proposed plans for an entirely new protocol to replace the existing Northern Ireland Protocol, according to The BBC.
In a speech to diplomats in Portugal on Tuesday, he described his new legal text as “a better way forward”. The protocol is the special Brexit deal agreed for Northern Ireland to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland. Ulster Unionists argue it undermines Northern Ireland’s constitutional position in the UK and creates a trade barrier.
In a plea to the European Union to allow for “significant change” to post-Brexit rules governing trade with Northern Ireland, Lord Frost said his proposed text would support the Good Friday Agreement.
He said it was forward-looking, improved on the current “excessively rigid” protocol, and would allow the EU and UK to “get back to normal” by removing “the poison” from their relationship.
With the EU expected to put forward proposals on Wednesday, Lord Frost again warned Brussels London could unilaterally waive some of the terms of its agreement if the bloc failed to budge.
“We have a short, but real, opportunity to put in place a new arrangement, to defuse the political crisis that is brewing, both in Northern Ireland and between us,” Lord Frost said.
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