Boris Johnson pushes plan to override Brexit deal as ‘insurance’ in Northern Ireland dispute
- The British PM is preparing to unilaterally back down on commitments he agreed to with the EU, even while saying he would prefer a negotiated solution
- He appears to be hoping for concessions from the EU on the Northern Ireland Protocol, which is at the centre of a political deadlock in the region
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he will push ahead with plans to unilaterally amend the post-Brexit deal with the European Union, even though his preference is to reach a negotiated solution over Northern Ireland.
“We would love this to be done in a consensual way with our friends and partners, ironing out the problems, stopping some of these barriers east-west,” Johnson said in a pooled television clip from Belfast on Monday.
“To get that done, to have the insurance, we need to proceed with a legislative solution at the same time.”
By preparing legislation to override parts of the Brexit deal he struck with the EU, Johnson appears to be calculating that it will act as a spur to European negotiators to unpick the agreement.
He is also trying to coax Northern Ireland’s unionist parties into forming a new power-sharing executive with the winners of this month’s elections, Sinn Fein.
The British government contends that the Northern Ireland Protocol, the post-Brexit settlement for the region, has created a customs border with the rest of the UK, disrupting trade and contributing to the collapse of the executive in the region.