UK in 'intensive discussions' with EU over Northern Ireland Protocol: Prime minister

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday said that the government is still in intensive discussions with the EU to resolve the longstanding Northern Ireland Protocol issue, saying: "I am a Conservative, a Brexiter, and a unionist. Any deal must tick all three boxes."

Any deal, he said during Prime Minister's Questions in parliament, “needs to ensure sovereignty for Northern Ireland and is to safeguard its place in our union, and it needs to find practical solutions to the problems faced by people and businesses. I will be resolute in fighting for what is best for Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom.”

In response, pointing to one of the flashpoints of the issue, a de facto trade border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, Labour leader Keir Starmer said the basis for any deal must be removing unnecessary checks on goods in transit, accusing Sunak of not being open about what is being planned.

Sunak then accused Starmer of handing a "surrender" to the EU, saying the agreement is not finalized.

"It's his usual position when it comes to the European Union. It's give the EU a blank check and agreeing to anything they offer it's not, it's not a strategy, it is a surrender," he said.

- Northern Ireland Protocol

The Northern Ireland Protocol necessitates border checks on any animal and plant-based products, including frozen meat and processed meat products, before their transport to Northern Ireland, which is aligned with EU rules and regulations.

The protocol creates a de facto trade border in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

The UK left the bloc on Jan. 31, 2020, as a result of the 2016 Brexit referendum that ended the country’s more than 40-year membership in the European club.

The agreement signed by the sides included the protocol, which practically avoided a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The protocol has been a point of disagreement between the sides.