UK and EU officials have signalled they are willing to resolve the impasse over the Northern Ireland Protocol. New Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker also insisted he is “convinced” London and Brussels can “get a deal which works for everyone” if they enter talks without pre-conditions and “together in a spirit of goodwill”. The protocol was agreed by the UK and EU as part of the Withdrawal Agreement and sought to avoid a hard border with Ireland post-Brexit. But the arrangements have created trade barriers on goods being shipped from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. The protocol is vehemently opposed by many unionists in Northern Ireland and the DUP is currently blocking the formation of a powersharing executive in Belfast in protest.

Source: The Herald October 04, 2022 00:28 UTC