The new British prime minister has appointed two well-known eurosceptics to the ministry of Northern Ireland but will have to negotiate with the European Union (EU) before the Brexit deal for Northern Ireland is suspended, a British analyst said.
During a “briefing” promoted by the consulting firm Global Counsel, director Lilah Howson-Smith said she believed there was some “space and time” for London and Brussels to try to reach an agreement.
Chris Heaton-Harris and Steve Baker were appointed Minister and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland by Liz Truss on Wednesday.
Both are leaders of the so-called European Research Group [European Research Group]a group of ultra-Eurosceptic Conservative MPs who blocked former Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal over the Northern Ireland solution and continued to pressure Boris Johnson to abolish the application of European rules in the British province after Brexit.
It was Liz Truss who, in June, while still Foreign Secretary, introduced the draft law amending parts of the Protocol on Northern Ireland to the United Kingdom’s Withdrawal Agreement from the EU, and which is awaiting the conclusion of parliamentary approval.
The protocol, concluded in 2019 during the Brexit process, aimed to avoid a physical border with Ireland, one of the requirements of the 1998 peace accords for the territory.
However, ‘unionist’ parties in Northern Ireland and Eurosceptics reject the solution that effectively creates a customs border between the British province and the rest of the UK, making goods traffic more difficult.
“We expect no action to be taken until September 15, which is the deadline to respond to EU infringement proceedings, and grace periods will be extended with questionable legal arguments, but there is no immediate commitment to put the article into effect. 16, as has been speculated,” Howson-Smith said.
According to the analyst, the British Prime Minister will focus in the coming weeks on the priorities of presenting measures for the energy crisis and delivering on the pledge to cut taxes.
“This creates some room for high-level diplomacy,” he said.
There are currently grace periods that prevent the application of controversial controls and health certificates to products of animal and plant origin required between the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, which are subject to the rules of the European internal market under the protocol.
On Wednesday, Truss said she was “committed” to working with “all parties” to resolve the crisis over Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit status, saying she preferred “a negotiated solution.” .
“We need to address the issues of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which has disrupted the balance between communities in Northern Ireland,” said Liz Truss during her first debate with MPs as head of government.
Boris Johnson’s successor said she was “determined to do this and determined to work with all parties to find a solution”, but said the “negotiated solution … should take into account elements of our protocol legislation.” of Northern Ireland”.
On Tuesday, when he took office, Truss and US President Joe Biden agreed in a telephone conversation “the importance of protecting” peace in Northern Ireland.
When European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen heard of Truss’ victory in the Conservative Party leadership election, he expressed hopes for a “constructive relationship, in full respect of our agreements”.
Source: DN
