Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove and the European Commission’s vice president have reiterated their “full commitment” to the contentious Northern Ireland Protocol following talks in London. A joint statement said Mr Gove and Maros Sefcovic had a “frank but constructive discussion” on Thursday evening, in which they agreed to “spare no effort” in implementing solutions. Unionists in Northern Ireland are deeply concerned about the arrangements, insisting they have driven an economic wedge between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. It comes after Stormont’s First Minister Arlene Foster said that more rigorous implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol is “not going to work”. Last week, Mr Gove wrote to Mr Sefcovic asking for an extension of a series of grace periods that are currently in operation that limit the level of bureaucracy associated with the protocol.

Source: The Herald February 11, 2021 23:02 UTC