Taoiseach Micheál Martin says legislation that has been published on the Northern Ireland Protocol "would effectively be very damaging to the NI economy".

Lots of requests for a step-by-step explanation of Johnson's plans to breach Protocol on Irish border. / No problem. And by the end, you'll understand why this man is totally unfit to hold public office.

WESTMINSTER "threats" to suspend Northern Ireland border rules are "not helpful" when the problems are down to Brexit, a leading Irish politician has said.

EU will have an office in Northern Ireland from Jan 1, source confirms. / A British cave after months of insisting no EU feet on the ground.

European Commission Maros Sefcovic has told @michaelgove that sweeping changes to the Protocol will not be possible, and that any flexibilities require the UK for its part to implement the terms of last December's NI Protocol.

AN SDLP Assembly member has criticised the questioning of new DUP leader Edwin Poots on yesterday's Andrew Marr Show.

"It’s for UK Parl to legislate as it sees fit. But understand, if UK passes law designed to break International Law, WI & Protocol, then there will be no trade deal. EU cannot ratify a new deal while U.K. is legislating to break a previous agreement. Trust & Good Faith Matters."

The EU's Brexit negotiator has told a seminar in Dublin that there will be no renegotiation of the Northern Ireland Protocol and that the EU will not accept any solution that will cut the region off from the benefits of the single market.

Theresa May has blasted Boris Johnson’s plan to override parts of Northern Ireland’s Brexit deal, as she warned the move was “not legal” and will “diminish” the UK’s global standing.

Opinion: there is clearly no trust between the UK and the EU when it comes to the Brexit deal and the Northern Ireland protocol

A much bigger driver of the unity chatter is, of course, Brexit and the out-workings of the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol, in particular the Irish sea border that Secretary of State Brandon Lewis denies exists.

Britain and the EU appear on the brink of a trade war after Brussels accused Boris Johnson of lacking sincerity in negotiations over Northern Ireland’s future. After the latest talks, the EU commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said that despite Brussels’ attempts to find a compromise, 'we have seen no move at all from the UK side'.

The leader of Plaid Cymru Adam Price calls on Labour to make the positive case for the single market and customs union.

UK proposals for implementing Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland deserve detailed scrutiny. No doubt the Commission will soon oblige! Below = some first thoughts from me (moving from the general to the specific) pending more critical reading & cross-checking ...

Probably not the anniversary present the government was hoping to offer the public.

It's been five years since the UK voted to leave the EU. The vote appalled those who saw it as economic self-sabotage. But those in favor of leaving were not swayed by economic arguments — and likely still aren't today.

An expected snap election in Northern Ireland would become a mini-poll on post-Brexit trade arrangements.

Saturday 20 February was the 50th day since Boris Johnson’s Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) came into effect. Anyone expecting it to settle all questions, or even most of the details, of how we will do business with the EU from now on will be mightily disappointed.

A majority of MLAs in the Stormont Assembly have signed a joint letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson stating their opposition to proposed legislation to amend the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The EU has proposed to the UK that the EEAS will open an office in Belfast, in recognition of Northern Ireland’s unique position, but this proposal has reportedly been rejected by Whitehall.

After six years of fraught negotiations, it looks increasingly likely that UK researchers will lose access to European Union research funding because of Brexit.

Tory minister David Frost proposes plans for an entirely new Northern Ireland Protocol – "trashing" a deal he once triumphed.

The recent closure of the Charles Peguy centre is sad but hardly surprising.

“Senior EU officials in Brussels ... believe escalation in the form of a trade war — probably early in the new year — is now almost unavoidable,” Eurasia analysts have said.

Amazon has stopped selling wines, beers and spirits to its customers in Northern Ireland as it wrestles with new customs rules post-Brexit.

Article 16 of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland seems to be fated to become one of those legal provisions known by their number alone, like Article 50 or Section 28.

The renewed tension in Northern Ireland could have far-reaching implications for the future of the United Kingdom - and post-Brexit relations with the EU.

Unionists feel worst ‘sense of hurt’ for 35 years, Loyalist Communities Council tells MPs.

The lucrative UK/US trade deal is dead - so will it Liz Truss now press ahead with ripping up parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol?

Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie has claimed anti-Northern Ireland Protocol rallies are stoking tensions and his party can no longer support them.

One of the key architects of Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal has admitted it is damaging Northern Irish businesses and warned it may not be sustainable.

Northern Ireland’s first minister has paid the price for believing the promises of the hard Brexiteers.

DUP leader Arlene Foster, along with deputy leader Nigel Dodds and East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson, have met a representative group for loyalist paramilitaries over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The First Minister of Northern Ireland has faced mounting opposition from within her own party.

Foster will step down as DUP leader on 28 May.

Two-thirds of party chairmen said they had lost confidence in her leadership.

Missiles and fireworks thrown at demonstration in loyalist area with trouble also on nationalist side of peace wall.

There is growing speculation the PM could soon trigger Article 16 as ongoing talks between the EU and UK continue to fail to resolve problems such as the "sausage war". But Boris Johnson is being given fresh warnings about the impact of such action.

Former PM strongly critical of Boris Johnson’s internal market bill as Lords reject it

Tens of millions of pounds will be spent on rescuing UK science and medical research projects at risk from a damaging post-Brexit dispute with the EU.

Government poised to announce further extensions to post-Brexit ‘grace periods’ until at least the end of the year.

Belfast Harbour has bounced back to strong trading and profits of £34m.

Police are monitoring tensions at the peace wall gates at the Shankill Road and Lanark Way as fresh loyalist protests break out in parts of Northern Ireland.

DOUGLAS Ross has condemned the "shocking" further violence on the streets of Belfast as he was quizzed about post-Brexit trading arrangements that have created economic barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern has described the tactics of the United Kingdom’s Brexit negotiating team as “deplorable”.

JOE Biden will tell Boris Johnson not to let the row over Northern Ireland's Brexit arrangements put the Good Friday Agreement at risk when the pair meet today.

US President Joe Biden will bring a grave Brexit warning to his first meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson: Prevent a row with the European Union from imperilling the delicate peace in Northern Ireland, write Steve Holland and Guy Faulconbridge.

The US president is expected to tell Johnson to solve the Northern Ireland impasse in a pre-G7 meeting, reports suggest.

Downing Street insists protocol period extension does not break international law

US president Joe Biden can “see through the spin and fog” from London on the Northern Ireland protocol and will urge the British government to implement the deal it agreed, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said on Wednesday.

In a move rarely seen between allies, Washington issued London with a demarche: a formal diplomatic reprimand usually reserved for adversaries.

‘The damage is to our standing in the world,’ says former chief justice Igor Judge.

Tension within loyalist communities is greater than at any point since the ceasefires of 1994, the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) leader has said.

Boris Johnson is facing a growing rebellion among senior Conservatives over his controversial Internal Market Bill - while former Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Sir John Major urged MPs to reject it, saying it risked putting the Irish peace process, trade negotiations and the UK's integrity at peril.

A former top civil servant has attacked the UK Government’s handling of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Prime minister personifies British hostility to international democratic norms.

Downing Street has briefed the media that the British government is planning legislation purporting to give the UK the power to renege on the legally-binding Northern Ireland Brexit protocol.

Border Communities Against Brexit have issued a statement on the progression of the Protocol Bill. The campaigning organisation believe that the new UK Prime Minister will override any amendments made in the House of Lords. They also believe that those promoting this Bill need to be honest about the consequences flowing from it, as thousands of jobs are at risk.

Former PM in four-letter tirade against Sunak’s new Brexit deal.

It is no good offering people a ‘story to believe in’ if it ends in harm – but the Prime Minister does not know any other way, observes Jonathan Lis.

The former Prime Minister has been accused of stirring up trouble with the Democratic Unionist Party and Tory backbenchers as claims mount over a pact with Brussels to end the stalemate.

Boris Johnson has accepted that the political impasse in Northern Ireland is a "direct consequence" of the Brexit deal he signed up to.

Boris Johnson has been accused of wanting to “get Brexit done” while ignoring the important details in the Northern Ireland Protocol.

‘He told a lie to the British public. Again he tells allies the UK word cannot be trusted,’ Labour MP alleges.

Johnson’s administration made promises over Northern Ireland deal it knew were unworkable, former PM tells MPs.

Boris Johnson could unveil legislation to override parts of the Brexit agreement he struck, tearing up the Northern Ireland Protocol which prevents a hard border with the Republic

Bid to break deadlock comes despite UK insisting ‘safety net’ was needed - whether talks succeeded or not.

As day two of G7 summit got underway, Johnson was quizzed about his relationship with former US president Donald Trump and the Northern Ireland protocol which governs the movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Boris Johnson’s plans to tear up post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland have come under fierce attack from Washington, with senior congressmen on both sides of the US political divide warning the “irresponsible” move is a threat to peace in the province.

PM ‘perfectly understood’ impact of Irish Sea checks, says Theresa May’s chief of staff – and the EU knows it.

Former prime minister Sir John said the move would damage relations with the European Union and United States and could further destabilise Northern Ireland.

Boris Johnson has hinted he may not support a proposed deal over the Northern Ireland protocol from Rishi Sunak, heaping pressure on the prime minister to revive a controversial bill that would unilaterally override parts of the Brexit treaty.

The Prime Minister, sounding for all the world as if the idea of the Northern Ireland border being a complicated thing had only just occurred to him, outlined a string of difficulties faced by people in the region since his "oven ready deal" came into force.

A couple of points are worth observing already. Nearly six years on from the Leave vote, the supposed opportunities of Brexit remain entirely conspicuous by their absence. And ramping up the rhetoric by claiming “immense opportunity” does not change this reality.

Bloc leaders say UK must fully implement post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland.

Johnson and prominent members of his ruling Conservative Party have publicly called for the scrapping or radical overhaul of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

PM risks major confrontation with Joe Biden by persevering with internal market bill.

Labour said the PM had 'squandered' Unionists' trust as Northern Ireland Secretary admitted 'concerns' about the Brexit deal were among factors in the unrest.

Under current PM, government is not Conservative but English Nationalist, says Chris Patten.

Senior Government sources warned a key part of the Brexit agreement - which Boris Johnson signed with Brussels - relating to Northern Ireland is 'dead in the water'.

Boris Johnson ‘shredding trust’ with three breaches of international law, former top diplomat warns.

Lord Frost claimed he 'underestimated' the scale of problems in moving goods from Britain - while another minister said it's been 'more difficult than we anticipated'

The PM’s greatest ‘untruth’ was about the Northern Irish border – the honest route now is to let voters choose where it should be

In an exclusive interview with Sky's Beth Rigby, Maros Sefcovic disputed the UK government's decision to unilaterally overhaul parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol - saying it was "very damaging" to relations with the EU.

From his days stoking anti-European Union sentiment with exaggerated newspaper stories, to his populist campaign leading Britain out of the bloc and reneging on the post-Brexit trade deal he signed, outgoing U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been the bane of Brussels for all so many years.

Frans Timmermans said it was ‘extremely well-known in London’ that UK demand could not be met.

From the same people who brought you the 'watertight' plan to rescue Owen Paterson, their latest proposal will reignite the Brexit debate.

Not before time, Boris Johnson has resigned as leader of the UK’s Conservative Party. The Guardian reports that Johnson’s leadership “toppled under a wave of sleaze allegations and failure to tell the truth.” But his real scandal lies elsewhere — with Brexit.

Join experts from the BRC for a look at how things are progressing in Ireland/Northern Ireland with implementing the protocol, and how things are faring in the UK and Brussels following Brexit and the application of the new Trade agreement with the EU. We also cover our take on the new head of the WTO and more.

Dominic Cummings, the mastermind behind the 2016 U.K. vote to leave the European Union, said it would be a “disaster” if Prime Minister Boris Johnson suspended parts of the Brexit deal over trade in Northern Ireland.

Politicians have hinted that there just might be a breakthrough with the Northern Ireland Protocol in the coming days.

Belfast high court rules checks on goods entering from Great Britain must continue pending review.

While the picture’s hardly pretty and certainly not what advocates of Brexit envisioned, none of it surprises economists. As a former Bank of England official observed: “You run a trade war against yourself, bad things happen.”

The UK has abandoned its attempt to strip EU judges of the power to oversee the Northern Ireland Protocol, in another Brexit climbdown.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said that the Cabinet’s Brexit sub-committee met on Monday to “essentially dust down and restart contingency preparations” in case a trade war develops with the UK.

Northern Ireland politicians are making a last-ditch attempt to break a political impasse triggered by Brexit that has stopped the formation of a functioning government in Belfast.

Britain’s exit from the EU has resulted in reduced trading on the electricity interconnectors between Great Britain (GB) and Ireland and increased the frequency of extreme prices.

BREXIT is causing “damage across the board” to UK science, including missing out on more than £1 billion in funding, campaigners have warned.

UK scientists had been shut out of the multibillion-euro scheme amid drawn-out Brexit negotiations.

European MEPs have welcomed Rishi Sunak’s approach compared to Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, saying a deal on Northern Ireland could help ‘reset relations’ post-Brexit.

The UK’s move to tear up rules over Northern Ireland is ‘dangerous’ and could put the peace process at risk, US lawmakers warned.

Today, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris announced legislation that would push back the legal deadline for Northern Ireland Assembly elections to be called to 18th January 2024, after 12 months of political deadlock over the Northern Ireland Protocol (NIP).

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney warns about the ongoing border disputes, but he stresses that violence is unlikely.

UK government set to pitch extension of ‘grace periods’ rather than triggering Article 16.

The OBR forecast that Brexit would cost the UK economy 4% of GDP now looks ridiculously optimistic as the damage mounts.

Molotov cocktails and barricades have returned to Northern Ireland. The conflict there is 4 centuries old. But Brexit is the new reason why the situation has reached the boiling point in what had been an era of peace.

Thierry Breton, who is also single market commissioner, believes downsides of leaving bloc are exposed by pandemic

A senior minister has admitted that the Brexit impact on Northern Ireland was “more difficult than we anticipated”.

Economic advantages of NI’s new trading arrangement overlooked by rejectionist rhetoric.

One thing that hasn’t? Brexit, Britain’s exit from the European Union, is still a hot mess. / The latest chapter in the saga has the British government threatening to go “nuclear” and invoke Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol—not good for already tense U.K.-E.U. relations.

Ex-PM joins fellow former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith in raising concerns over the potential break-up of the United Kingdom.

The Northern Ireland Protocol is a deal that was agreed less than three years ago and it’s already causing problems.

British government’s lack of clarity on EU trade deal ‘could limit fish, dairy and meat range’.

The Brexit bills are starting to fall due for Boris Johnson just as the U.K. prime minister seeks to cast himself as a global statesman leading the Group of Seven’s fight to defeat Covid-19.

The former prime minister’s hollow catchphrase captured a fundamental truth—just not the one she thought it did.

No matter that they negotiated and signed up to the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) less than a year ago, it is increasingly clear that they did so with little or no intention to honour what they agreed with the EU.

Lord Frost said the deal that he negotiated had "begun to come apart even more quickly than we feared"

The UK's Brexit negotiator has admitted the government underestimated the impact of Brexit on Northern Ireland.

First Minister says issues about symbolism and practicality.

Judges reject legal challenge to UK-EU trade arrangements by group of unionist leaders.

Posters demanding “No Irish Sea Border”, “Scrap NI Protocol” and “EU Hands Off Ulster” cover much of the 35-km (20-mile) route, their opposition to the new trading arrangements emphasised by the flying of Britain’s Union Jack flag every few lampposts.

Northern Ireland Affairs Committee told of myriad difficulties with existing arrangements.

UK PM Boris Johnson went to Manchester to address his party conference for the first time as leader proposing a new UK alternative to the backstop - the Northern Ireland/Ireland protocol.

The EU's long-held insistence on level playing field provisions continues. How does the UK see its commitments to the Irish Protocol and the Political Declaration and what impact will deviation have on its credibility in other trade talks?

Dispute over Northern Ireland protocol puts associate membership of Horizon Europe scheme in doubt.

Four hours of Brexit talks over Northern Ireland ended with 'no substantive agreement' - with the UK threatening to extend a sausage trading deadline while the EU threatened tariffs in return.

The spat over sausage trade with Northern Ireland risks dragging in US President Joe Biden - as the UK brands the EU's rules "nonsensical" while the EU warns of "swift, firm" retaliation.

Grace period will stop at end of 2022 with talks on a solution stalled. / Boris Johnson's Brexit deal is set to create a shortage of veterinary medicines for sick animals in Northern Ireland, a parliamentary committee has warned.

European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic said the bloc was "united" in its opposition to the UK position.

New figures show Northern Ireland’s share of UK exports to Ireland surging thanks to the protocol trade deal.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said that the Cabinet’s Brexit subcommittee met on Monday to “essentially dust down and restart contingency preparations” in case a trade war develops with the UK.

European Union and U.K. attempts to jump-start negotiations over the post-Brexit trading relationship in Northern Ireland have so far failed to make any progress, and diplomats see little chance for any substantial progress until they get past a key election scheduled for May.

EU warns patience wearing “very thin” as tensions between the two sides escalate.

The potential threats of Brexit to Scottish farmers continue to 'vastly outweigh' the potential opportunities, NFU Scotland has warned one year on from UK withdrawal.

Brussels has warned the UK government that its Brexit trade deal is "intrinsically linked" to enforcing the Northern Ireland border protocol.

The move would plunge the UK into a no-deal Brexit.

Business chiefs and economists say huge disruption lies ahead if Downing Street triggers Article 16.

Three years on, we are covered in the scars of what it has done to this country.

‘Time is short’ to avert clash over chilled meat exports to Northern Ireland, warns Boris Johnson’s Brexit minister.

In January 2020, as Britain was about to exit the EU, a post appeared on the London School of Economics (LSE) blog musing about the mechanism and conditions that might apply if Britain ever wanted to re-join.

Lough Neagh eel fishermen will have to find new markets for a fifth of their catch due to Brexit and the operation of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Northern Ireland will be the UK regional economy least impacted by Brexit, partially due to the NI Protocol, new analysis has suggested.

The post-Brexit Northern Ireland treaty is reportedly seen as “dead in the water” by Downing Street as negotiations between the UK and EU over the protocol continue.

Responsibility for the Northern Ireland part of the Brexit deal lies "fairly and squarely with the UK government", a former top Stormont civil servant has said.

The UK government would be acting in an “anti-democratic” way if it goes through with its threat to over-ride elements of the post-Brexit treaty, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has said.

Firms have been hit by increasing red tape and delays at ports since Brexit at the year end, while the Northern Ireland Protocol has caused significant disruption at the Britain and Northern Ireland border.

Despite what Boris Johnson claimed on Wednesday, this is far from the end of the saga, writes Jon Stone.

The warning comes after a Glasgow-based, world-leading cancer expert said he was considering moving a major research project abroad because of a Brexit-linked impasse over EU funding.

Democratic Unionist party leader says prime minister made admission during private meeting last week.

Former Labour MP calls on government to suspend Northern Ireland protocal in Brexit deal

Nathalie Loiseau says no alternatives have been proposed to Brexit deal. / A senior ally of Emmanuel Macron has told Brexiteers that they must "face reality" over the consequences of leaving the EU.

Over the years since Brexit was first talked of, its proponents have developed numerous convoluted and often contradictory myths.

Brexit-induced labour shortages are going to be a limiting factor in the pursuit of growth, growth, growth

Britain has formally dropped its demand that Europe’s highest court should have no legal role in the controversial Northern Ireland protocol.

The Northern Ireland protocol row shows the similarities between two former imperial powers intent on regaining lost glory.

"Rewarding Britain for its threats is simply inconceivable. Brexit means Brexit, it’s a self-inflicted wound.”

It is difficult to make sense of what Johnson’s Brexit government is doing, or trying to do, as regards the Northern Ireland Protocol (NIP). I discussed the background in last week’s post, much of which remains relevant, but since then there have been daily, almost hourly, contradictory signals and reports.

Former prime minister declares that trade deal is off the table until problems are solved.

Ministers are portraying themselves as victims of a deal they created for Northern Ireland. A classic blame-shifting strategy.

The chair of the British Chambers of Commerce, Shevaun Haviland, says British exporters have faced "huge issues" trying to sell their goods abroad since Brexit.

The Republic of Ireland imported almost €1bn (£856m) less of British goods in January compared with the same month in 2020.

The British Labour party has accused Boris Johnson’s government of putting political stability in Northern Ireland at risk with its unilateral postponement of plans agreed with the European Union for post-Brexit checks on goods.

Micheal Martin warned the move to override parts of the international deal could “destabilise” politics in Northern Ireland.

The prime minister seeks to game and inflame a state of mind that rejects complex reality in favour of symbols and fantasy.

Supermarkets to be given extended ‘grace period’ until at least October.

The European Commission has started infringement procedures with Boris Johnson’s government over the controversial UK Internal Market Bill, Ursula von der Leyen said.

The EU has gone to the limits of what it can do to resolve the problems of post-Brexit trade in Northern Ireland, the bloc’s ambassador to the UK has said.

European Union judges must have a role overseeing Northern Ireland’s Brexit arrangements, a senior EU official has said in rejection to British demands.

Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic will seek to arrange talks with Brexit minister Lord Frost and his team to discuss the request.

Opposition to the arrangements that have created trade barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK was a factor behind rioting that flared in several loyalist areas across the region in April.

The European Commission has accused the UK of undermining the trust needed for effective operation of its post-Brexit trade deal.

Northern Ireland businesses have told MPs they need an extension of "grace periods" for Irish Sea border checks.

Nicholas Walton gives up leadership of €2.8m pan-European research after dispute over Northern Ireland protocol.

Which way do the political winds blow in Northern Ireland? The centennial of the decision to remain in the United Kingdom has been overshadowed by the infighting within the Democratic Unionist Party of the now outgoing First Minister Arlene Foster, pushed out by her own rank and file. We ask if that signals a further tack to the right for the Christian fundamentalist, pro-Brexit DUP...

The UK and the European Union will step up efforts to reach an agreement on the Northern Ireland Protocol before Christmas after negotiators failed to reach agreement once again. / It comes as it was reported that Britain has watered down its objection to the European Court of Justice remaining in the Protocol.

The NI Protocol means tobacco products sold in Northern Ireland must continue to bear EU health warnings.

Most people think Brexit has gone badly, a UK survey finds, and Johnson has left behind a mess of problems for a new PM.

Letter to Michael Gove says British must meet Brexit deal obligations before ‘flexibility’ can be considered.

Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker is seeking to renegotiate part of the Brexit trade agreement to fix problems caused by the Northern Ireland Protocol.

UK PM Boris Johnson had been wildly happy about his new EU exit deal; then he introduced a law undermining both it, and the last round of trade negotiations. Speaking with two former permanent secretaries of the UK’s EU exit department, Matt Ross asks whether Johnson is applying firm leverage – or deliberately sabotaging the trade talks.

The High Court intervened in the ongoing Brexit chaos in Northern Ireland this afternoon after a judge issued an interim order suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.

Former DUP Minister Edwin Poots unlawfully took a politically motivated decision in ordering a halt to Irish Sea border checks, the High Court ruled today.

This follows Britain’s move to postpone customs checks on goods entering the North from Britain. / Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney and EU commissioner Maros Sefcovic are scheduled to brief the Friends of Ireland caucus on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, amid concern in Washington about Britain’s decision to delay the implementation of a key part of the Brexit agreement.

European Court of Justice must be ‘final arbiter’ on EU law and regulations, says Minister.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has said evidence suggests the British government is preparing to trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol, as he warned that doing so could lead to a trade dispute between the European Union and the UK.

Members of the US Congress are to receive a briefing today on the latest Brexit developments from Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney and European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has warned the EU was very close to refusing the latest demands from the British government over Brexit and the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The Taoiseach Micheal Martin has called for a fresh round of UK-EU talks on the Protocol rather than the UK taking unilateral action to change the post-Brexit deal.

Some supply-chain issues related to the divorce deal between the U.K. and the European Union remain to be seen since Covid-19 hid some of the impacts of Brexit, according to Ireland’s prime minister.

Cricket pitch soil in Northern Ireland may have to be dug up and replaced due to post-Brexit protocol arrangements, according to officials for the sport in the province.

our out of five drugs used by the NHS will not be allowed into Northern Ireland by January 2022 due to the Protocol, the British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA) has warned.

There are a ‘lack of things to talk about‘, ex-negotiator argues – one day after collapse in trading links revealed.

The North is facing another toxic, polarising and futile Assembly election.

The pro-Brexit party’s February attempt to stop EU-required controls ‘was motivated by political rather than legal considerations.’

European media responded with shock and disbelief this morning after a minister in Northern Ireland ordered to end checks on food in his country and the UK declared it won’t do anything about it.

End of lockdown could see unionist protests, police officer says.

UK overriding Brexit deal would be act of ‘bad faith’, says Democrat US congressman.

Boris Johnson will destroy any international leadership capital Britain has built up since the Russian invasion of Ukraine if he overrides the post-Brexit trade arrangements in Northern Ireland, European diplomats have said.

In this video, Professor Mark Elliott considers the extent to which the Bill could be considered to be proposing a breach of international law.

Ex-adviser to PM says flawed Brexit deal was way to ‘whack Corbyn’ and ‘of course’ government can break it.

European vice-president Maroš Šefčovič says claim about Brussels trying to erect barrier down Irish Sea undermines UK’s reputation

Wrong to ‘conflate’ issues, Boris Johnson’s spokesman insists – after US official said talks were on hold because of Article 16 fears.

Downing Street has said the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol cannot continue in its current form and that it should be “urgently” changed.

Downing Street said late last night the UK government is prepared to consider tearing up elements of Northern Ireland’s Brexit deal, despite a Cabinet minister insisting the option would not be used before Christmas.

The creation of a dual regulatory system in Northern Ireland would create a series of reputational, legal and commercial risks for local businesses, the Government has been warned.

Ireland’s foreign minister dismisses request by DUP in escalating row over trade barriers in Irish Sea.

“Earlier in the year we had people back out on the streets again. There was civil unrest, there was violence on the streets."

It places the DUP in the uncomfortable position of appearing at odds with the stance of the public health service itself.

"There is no substance to Sir Jeffrey's claim" / A health trust has rejected claims by DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson that life-saving heart surgery was delayed because of Brexit's Northern Ireland Protocol.

Watching Jeffrey Donaldson turn the DUP back towards accepting the protocol is an absurd and impressive spectacle.

UUP MLA Doug Beattie was the sole unionist representative in attendance.

The UK Government’s Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis has indicated that he will not intervene after the controversial move by the devolved minister.

DUP minister Edwin Poots breached Brexit-imposed legal obligations by ordering a halt to Irish Sea border checks, the High Court has heard.

DUP Agriculture Minister Gordon Lyons has told the PA news agency he has ordered his officials to halt construction of permanent inspection facilities for post-Brexit checks on agri-food goods arriving from Britain.

MPs told of how Brexit bureaucracy leaves lorries stranded for hours without right paperwork.

NI executive relies on power-sharing between parties.

He said the move "hugely reduces" the risk of post-Brexit divergence on product standards between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

Other parties in Northern Ireland’s unraveling administration say Boris Johnson doesn’t care whether power-sharing survives in Belfast.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson knows very well what action the European Union could take if London fails to comply with the post-Brexit agreement it struck with the bloc on Northern Ireland, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Monday.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said the rule of law was of paramount importance, when questioned on Wednesday about attempts by Britain to override some Brexit trade rules related to Northern Ireland.

The Agriculture Minister said he can ‘absolutely and totally stand over the decision to temporarily remove staff’ following reports of threats.

DUP leader under fire for rejecting EU offer that would remove 80% of protocol checks.

‘Some sections of the community are starting to sense they are sitting on a powder keg’

Legal action is also reportedly being considered by Brussels, and a top Democrat has warned a UK-US trade deal is at risk.

Emmanuel Macron’s attack on UK’s failure to implement Brexit deal wrecks claims of G7 ‘harmony’.

The EU will later set out a range of proposals, including removing up to half of custom checks, in a bid to resolve the political stand-off over trade in Northern Ireland.

The issue stems from the outworkings of the NI Protocol, which means Northern Ireland remains covered by the EU’s pharmaceutical regulations.

European Union governments agreed on the need for "robust" action against Britain if London follows through on its threat to escalate a post-Brexit trade dispute, EU diplomats said on Wednesday.

The EU’s ambassador to the UK has accused new DUP leader Edwin Poots of making comments about the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol that lack “adherence to reality”.

The Northern Ireland protocol is “the solution” to “the problems created by Brexit,” João Vale de Almeida, the EU’s senior representative to the U.K., told The Guardian on Tuesday.

As the EU and UK continue to prepare for the trade negotiations, there are clear signs that all is not well when it comes to implementing the divorce part of Brexit, in particular the Irish Protocol.

EU proposes the UK temporarily align on plant and animal rules to remove Irish Sea checks.

The European Union is awaiting a firm counterproposal from the United Kingdom to ease a standoff over how to deal with Britain’s departure from the bloc.

Senior Tory Simon Hoare tells i that ripping up Brexit deal in a cost of living crisis would not be ‘grown-up statecraft’.

The European Commission has condemned the state of checks on goods coming into the EU via Northern Ireland.

The EU’s Brexit chief has today warned the UK to not “further sour our relationship” by taking unilateral actions in Northern Ireland as negotiations between the two sides continue.

Maroš Šefčovič says Brussels will launch fresh legal action against UK over treaty obligations.

“This announcement has created uncertainty and unpredictability and certainly no stability, so I’m not sure what the purpose of this move is … it’s an absolute breach of international law," an EU official has said.

More than 100 grants previously approved for applicants in Britain have been scrapped amid a continuing dispute over the UK’s refusal to fully implement trade arrangements made when the country left the European Union.

Ursula von der Leyen has expressed her "deep concern" on the implementation of post-Brexit agreements in a phone call to Boris Johnson.

The European Commission's vice president Maros Sefcovic echoed Boris Johnson's 2019 election slogan in a speech in which he accused the UK of a "my way or the highway" approach.

'Patience is wearing thin' with the UK on the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol, the European Commission's vice-president, Maroš Šefčovič, has warned, adding the EU could retaliate by suspending some cooperation and imposing tariffs.

Maroš Šefčovič says he is trying to iron out disruption to businesses caused by the protocol.

‘We stand by our commitments’, says president Ursula von der Leyen.

The European Commission vice president has suggested the EU could act unilaterally to guarantee the supply of medicines from GB to Northern Ireland.

Ireland’s Foreign Affairs Minister criticised the UK Government’s approach to negotiations on the Irish Sea trade arrangements.

Move comes as London hints at using clause to suspend parts of Northern Ireland protocol.

The transition period ended on 31 December 2020. Since that date, trade volumes have been suppressed by the impact of COVID-19, EU exit, and wider global pressures. It may not be possible to separate out the impact of these individual elements on the UK’s trade with the EU, but it is clear that EU exit has had an impact, and that new border arrangements have added costs to business.

The European Union is expecting the UK to set out a road map detailing how it plans to fully implement the post-Brexit agreement on Northern Ireland in the “coming days”.

The European Union is ready to consider tougher retaliatory measures if the U.K. government fails to implement its post-Brexit obligations over Northern Ireland, according to an EU official.

MEPs are set to blast Boris Johnson’s approach on Wednesday. / But the ID group, which represents parties like French National Rally, Italy's Lega, and the German AfD appears to have come to the UK's aid and tried to get the debate postponed.

The EU has gone the extra mile by offering a fix to the row about trade in Northern Ireland, a senior EU official has said.

"Especially the type as the UK has proposed it, negotiated it, and signed the agreement up on it with us.”

Trade bloc indicates desire to ease tensions with UK over alleged breach of protocol.

The European Commission has launched four new legal actions against the UK government for breaking parts of the Northern Ireland Brexit deal.

The EU has launched fresh legal action against the UK over its enforcement of post-Brexit trading rules in Northern Ireland.

The European Union launched legal action against Britain on Monday for unilaterally changing trading arrangements for Northern Ireland that Brussels says breach the Brexit divorce deal agreed with London last year.

UK put on formal notice over internal market bill, which ministers admit breaks international law.

THE EU is launching legal action against the UK Government due to an alleged breach of the Brexit agreement.

The EU has said it is launching legal action against the UK over its plans to rip up a key Brexit agreement.

Brussels has launched legal action against the UK government after Boris Johnson announced he would renege on parts of the deal he signed last year. / Earlier this month the UK moved to unilaterally change parts of the deal to better suit British businesses – provoking anger on the other side of the channel.

MPs backed Boris Johnson's plan to tear apart his own deal with the EU - which comes after he claimed he had 'got Brexit done'.

Brussels ‘would respond in a serious way’ if London suspends operation of NI protocol.

Ministers express ‘unity’ on European Commission’s legal proceedings in Luxembourg meeting.

For those suffering the damaging after-effects, it is Brexit that's providing the nightmares.

The European Union has said it is weighing its "next steps" after Britain formally responded to Brussels over the launch of legal proceedings alleging London broke the Brexit protocol covering Northern Ireland.

EU countries have backed a proposal to launch legal action against the UK for unilaterally deciding to delay introducing post-Brexit customs checks in Northern Ireland in what will be an escalation of an ongoing row.

European Union member states are gearing up to consider suspending the bloc’s trade agreement with the UK if London takes concrete action to override parts of the Brexit deal, according to officials.

Maroš Šefčovič attempts to end tussle at press conference but ‘big gap’ remains to UK’s demands.

The EU is being as 'flexible as possible' on Northern Ireland protocol negotiations, a top European official has said. / But European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic issued a trade warning to the UK.

‘Grace period’ to exempt British food supplies from costly export health certificates to last only three months.

Bloc says it will not renegotiate agreement and threatens to take ministers to court for ‘damaging’ unilateral action.

Brussels was “preparing for the worst” over Brexit on Wednesday after the UK signalled the EU’s offer to scrap up to 80 per cent of checks on goods entering Northern Ireland was not enough to resolve the bitter dispute over the Irish border.

The UK is making last-minute tweaks to planned legislation to override a portion of its Brexit deal, as the European Union prepares to relaunch legal proceedings as part of the bloc’s response to the move.

European capitals have lost trust, says Irish minister – as Keir Starmer accuses PM of ’wrecking ball’ approach.

Brussels says London must backtrack or both sides will go down ‘a much more confrontational’ path.

The European Commission won't rule out suspending the EU-UK trade deal if the UK approves a draft bill that unilaterally overrides parts of the Brexit agreement.

he European Union said on Monday that removing the oversight of the bloc's top court from the UK's Brexit deal in parts governing trade on the island of Ireland would effectively cut Northern Ireland off the European market.

The European Union's patience with Britain over Brexit is "wearing thin" and the bloc is considering its options if Number 10 continues on a "confrontational path", an official has claimed.

Brexit opportunities minister said UK could break agreement if it wanted.

The European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator says the bloc is ready to act “firmly and resolutely” if the U.K. fails to honor its commitments under the divorce deal that was supposed to keep trade flowing after the Britain left the EU.

UK Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove has opposed a previous request by the EU to maintain an office in Belfast to oversee the NI Protocol.

European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic is expected to announce proposed new legislation on Friday.

The EU is expected to launch legal action against the UK government on Wednesday over its decision to scrap some post-Brexit trade arrangements.

Brussels and London’s failure to agree on post-Brexit arrangements endangers the European space programme, with the first victim possibly being the monitoring of the EU Green Deal, if no solution is found by mid-2024, EURACTIV has learnt.

The European Union sued Britain on Wednesday (local time) over its move to rewrite the trade rules agreed to when the country left the EU two years ago, ratcheting up tensions between the major economic partners.

The European Union’s envoy to the UK Joao Vale de Almeida has said this Tuesday that the Northern Ireland protocol negotiated between Britain and the EU in December is the solution to paving a way to allow for the free movement of goods between the two jurisdictions, and not the problem.

The EU has announced new legal action against the UK government over its plans to scrap parts of the post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland.

EU Commission warns time is running out after first committee meeting on NI protocol.

Brussels ready to slap tariffs and quotas on UK exports – and even to ‘suspend cooperation in certain sectors’

Lord Frost said on Wednesday that the UK was unilaterally extending "grace periods" designed to ease trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. The European Commission says it's now working on 'infringement proceedings'

New rules would allow Brussels suspend free trade and other benefits agreed with UK.

‘Impossible’ that British alternative NI plan can work, says Italy’s minister for European affairs Vincenzo Amendola.

Concerns grow that Boris Johnson has already decided to trigger article 16 of Northern Ireland protocol.

Checks on goods travelling across the Irish Sea should be cut to a “couple of lorries a day”, the EU’s chief negotiator on Brexit said today.

Maroš Šefčovič says bloc will issue ‘far-reaching proposals’ aimed at breaking impasse next week

European Commission vice-president says Brussels wants to get ‘Brexit done’ – while London refuses to talk about Northern Ireland.

Top European Union officials have vowed to use all available measures to ensure the UK respects the terms of its Brexit agreement with the bloc as tensions rise over trade involving Northern Ireland.

The European Union said on Friday that Britain had made no move to seek a compromise on post-Brexit trade with Northern Ireland and cautioned London against triggering emergency unilateral provisions in the Brexit deal.

The EU has warned the incoming UK leader not to pursue a bill designed to rip up the Brexit deal governing Northern Ireland, just days before Britain’s new premier is elected.

Europe’s top Brexit negotiator has warned of “serious consequences” if the UK makes good on its threat to trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol amid an ongoing row with Brussels over how goods can be shipped between the territory and the UK mainland.

A senior European Union official has expressed frustration after talks with the U.K. broke up without resolving differences over the implementation of their post-Brexit trade deal in Northern Ireland

A top European Union official said Wednesday that Britain could face retaliatory tariffs or other sanctions after talks failed to resolve an increasingly heated dispute over implementation of their post-Brexit trade deal in Northern Ireland.

Maroš Šefčovič says Brussels has seen no concessions from UK side in Northern Ireland protocol dispute.

The European Union’s executive arm warned the bloc’s 27 members that the UK hasn’t made progress in solving Brexit-related problems since Rishi Sunak became prime minister, even though his new government has offered a more conciliatory tone.

Charles Michel says implementing deal is ‘question of rule of law’.

An EU official confirmed to i that Brussels would not engage in further talks as long as Liz Truss’s Northern Ireland Protocol Bill continued its passage through Parliament.

The EU this morning warned that it would continue to pursue legal action against the UK “for as long as necessary” over post-Brexit trade issues in Northern Ireland.

Point will come when EU says ‘enough, we cannot compromise any more’, warns Irish foreign minister.

‘It’s the British government essentially breaking the protocol – breaking their own commitments again’

The European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator said Britain must accept the realities of Brexit and it was the UK’s exit from the EU that had caused tensions between London and Brussels over Northern Ireland, not the divorce protocol.

The European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator said Britain must accept the realities of Brexit and it was the UK’s exit from the EU that had caused tensions between London and Brussels over Northern Ireland, not the divorce protocol.

The EU suspects the UK is deliberately stoking political tension in Northern Ireland in order to wriggle out of treaty commitments it never intended to honour.

Top European Union and British officials failed to get a breakthrough at talks on Northern Ireland trade rules and said Friday that contact would continue over the coming weeks

In recent weeks I have been hearing a lot - both publicly and privately - from EU leaders, and from the chief executives of some of the region's biggest companies. No wonder. They've had a lot on their plate with events in Ukraine, a transformation of their energy supply lines, and the prospect of knock-on effects, including possible recession.

‘The game is up’: Former taoiseach strongly criticises British government’s negotiating stance. / Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said that the “game is up” for British negotiators irrespective of whether or not Article 16 is triggered.

The European Parliament has branded Brexit a “historic mistake” as MEPs prepare to officially pass the Brexit trade deal later today.

‘No third country can enjoy the same benefits as an EU member’

Leaders in the European Parliament have made clear a trade deal will not be ratified unless Boris Johnson backs down.

The former Secretary General of the European Commission believes the UK's chief Brexit negotiator was 'hardly credible' in his speech against the NI protocol.

There are serious doubts about the government's justification for unilaterally overriding the Northern Ireland Protocol, legal experts have told MPs.

Lawyers reject Liz Truss’s claim that UK is able to dump parts of treaty with EU without its agreement.

It is the second double-decker bus to be torched in the past week, amid protests against the Northern Ireland protocol.

Neale Richmond says NI protocol ‘isn’t going anywhere’ despite British efforts to ‘trash’ it.

That vote -- five years ago Wednesday -- was supposed to settle the United Kingdom's perennial neurosis over its relationship with Europe once and for all. It did nothing of the sort.

When the Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement in the autumn of 2019, he described it as an "excellent deal" ... Less than three years later, the same prime minister claims the circumstances have changed, that the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) is under threat from the agreement he negotiated and signed.

UK to introduce import controls on certain food and agricultural goods from October 1.

Lord Frost, Boris Johnson’s Brexit minister, is reportedly considering allowing “lighter touch” controls on imports from 1 April.

The prime minister has imperilled peace in Northern Ireland, and every day the economic fallout worsens.

The spending has been described as "political posturing" and "clearly a waste of public money".

JOHN Bruton has accused the British government of using "threatening" language while "pretending" that it did not sign-up to a trade border in the Irish Sea.

Without deal on post-Brexit trade rules in Northern Ireland, it is “almost impossible” for food retailers to export to the EU, says chief executive of Fortnum & Mason, Tom Athron,

The UK promises to “fix” the Northern Ireland protocol with unilateral legislation. This will be a major step backwards in trying to resolve genuine practical problems under the protocol.

FRANCE 24's Clovis Casali reports on the impacts of UK's exit, one year on, as post-Brexit relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union continue to be strained – by rows over irregular migration, over fishing rights and the Brexit deal itself.

France's European affairs minister Clement Beaune urged Britain on Tuesday to uphold its side of post-Brexit deals and restore trust.

European states will, within days, announce measures to apply pressure on London to abide by Brexit agreements sealed with the bloc when Britain left the European Union, French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune told Europe 1 radio on Tuesday.

Talks between Britain and the EU on the implementation of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement in Northern Ireland have broken up without agreement.

Heinz's announcement that it was to start making ketchup in the UK again was widely hailed, but the UK's post-Brexit food and drink manufacturing sector still faces stern challenges.

“Do you not find it a little embarrassing that you're renegotiating it across such a wide area so soon after it was signed by the government and approved by this Parliament?” - "Not really".

Lord Frost told the Conservative conference that the ‘long bad dream’ of our EU membership is over but his is just beginning.

Any additional delays to the introduction of post-Brexit border checks on imports will simply postpone the inevitable, and send mixed signals to businesses that have been urged for months to get ready for the additional formalities involved with moving goods across the UK’s borders, according to business group Logistics UK.

The “sausage war” row between the UK and EU deepened today as the Elysee Palace rejected claims that Emmanuel Macron confused the constitutional status of Northern Ireland in a conversation with Boris Johnson at the G7 summit in Cornwall.

The apologetic comments of Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker are surprising and positive but not completely unexpected. Baker was waving a flag, in a wider diplomatic game.

‘In the event of non-compliance.... we are committed to the consistent application of all agreed measures and countermeasures’.

Germany told European Union nations that relations between the UK and the bloc reached a new low and they should be ready for a serious fight if London enacts the bill it proposed to tear up the Northern Ireland Protocol.

A former Downing Street chief of staff and architect of the Good Friday Agreement has accused the British government of destroying its trust with the Irish government over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The decision to breach trust again in relation to the Northern Ireland Protocol, by acting unilaterally rather than through the agreed joint procedures, was in obvious contradiction with Frost’s subsequent appeal for good will.

British minister says North’s businesses won’t need exit summary declarations when they send goods to rest of the UK.

Lord Frost says opposition parties do not need to see legal text.

Andrew Lynas, managing director of Coleraine-based Lynas Foodservice, told MPs that buying mozzarella cheese from one of his long-standing suppliers in England now requires eight separate processes under the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Although we have left the EU, there are still many issues to be resolved. One of the biggest dangers is that if the NI Protocol breaks so will the UK-EU trade deal.

Speaking to reporters at the Embassy of Ireland in London, he said the his government has good channels of communication with all parties in Northern Ireland.

As his press conference wore on, Maros Sefcovic sounded increasingly frustrated.

Ireland’s European commissioner criticises decision by DUP minister affecting food and animal imports.

Dublin's foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney has said the decision to halt Northern Ireland Protocol checks would be a “breach of international law”.

Transport and logistics experts attempting to navigate customs changes brought about by Brexit have criticised a support scheme managed under a £200m contract awarded to a consortium led by a multinational IT firm.

The DUP collapsed the devolved executive last February in protest at Brexit’s Northern Ireland Protocol.

Try and find an instance of the market reacting to tax cuts anywhere else on Earth the way it reacted to the UK’s mere mention of such a simple policy. The market usually loves tax cuts. Not this time. Why?

Belfast court rules EU Withdrawal Act trumps claims that Protocol breaches Acts of Union.

Brexiteer Steve Baker, who is now a Northern Ireland Minister, has apologised for his 'ferocious' stance on negotiations with the EU.

It has not even been five months since the end of the Brexit transition period and there have been armed patrol vessels in the Channel.

What should we call a project that poleaxes the economy, destroys our global reputation and threatens political stability in Northern Ireland? If we had known what would come to pass, how would we have voted on it six years ago?

One of the many consequences of Brexit is the creation of a customs border in the Irish Sea, a move that for some in Northern Ireland has awakened old unionist fears of separation from the mainland. There's also been a lot of talk about the Northern Ireland Protocol stirring up dormant tensions between unionists and republicans. But what if those fears are ill-founded?

The UK and European Union are poised to enter the final stretch of negotiations over post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland. After years of distrust and tension both sides are optimistic that a settlement is within reach.

What has changed in the 31 days since the UK left and how has it impacted consumers and businesses?

The European Union has promised legal action after the British government unilaterally extended a grace period for checks on food imports to Northern Ireland, a move that Brussels said breached the terms of London’s EU divorce deal.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would tear up the Northern Ireland Protocol shortly after he made the EU deal, DUP MP Ian Paisley has claimed.

The European Union and the U.K. are preparing to enter an intense phase of negotiations starting next week aimed at overcoming the dispute over their post-Brexit trading relationship well ahead of the anniversary of Northern Ireland’s peace agreement in April, according to people familiar with the matter.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s push to override parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol is driven more by Conservative Party politics than a concern for the region, a senior European Union official said on Wednesday.

Simon Coveney urges UK government to ‘behave as modern democracies’ should and honour international agreements.

The UK has displayed “bad faith” in how it has approached the part of the Brexit treaty dealing with Northern Ireland, Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said.

Irish deputy PM says UK triggering article 16 would precipitate collapse in relations with EU.

Ireland accused the Government of “shifting the playing field” over Northern Ireland on Monday as Brexit tensions between the UK and Brussels escalated.