Lord Frost today set a November deadline for the success of Brexit on the Northern Ireland Protocol as he warned the EU that Britain ‘cannot wait forever’ to reform border checks.
The government’s Brexit chief said early next month there will be a ‘decision point’ when it becomes clear whether it is possible for both sides to agree on a solution to address the ongoing disruption.
Lord Frost revealed today that he has finalized proposals to permanently change the controversial protocol and will submit them in Brussels in the coming days.
He said he expected a response from the EU in 10 days, potentially after three weeks of intense talks.
Should those negotiations not result in success, Lord Frost suggested that the UK consider triggering Article 16 of the Protocol, which would see Britain unilaterally tear down the abusive rules.
Lord Frost said at a fringe event at the Conservative Party’s annual convention in Manchester: ‘I think the timetable, I mean frankly, is not fixed from day to day, but I personally believe that Maybe in early November there comes a decision point where we know whether a deal can be reached or not.
Lord Frost had earlier delivered a keynote speech in the main conference hall in which he insisted that Britain was ready to trigger the mechanism if the EU refused to heed Britain’s demands.
Lord Frost warned the EU today that Britain ‘cannot wait forever’ to reform post-Brexit border checks in Northern Ireland as he revealed he has drawn up a replacement plan
It is believed the plans will be shared with Brussels in the coming days, with a rumble row between the blocks expected to worsen tensions to reduce disruption at the border. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is pictured in Bosnia on 30 September
The government has repeatedly threatened to invoke Article 16 of the Protocol which would allow Britain to unilaterally walk away from certain rules.
However, such a move would lead to a furious backlash in Brussels and possibly a legal challenge.
The protocol, agreed as part of the Brexit deal, requires the screening of goods traveling from GB to Northern Ireland at ports to avoid the withdrawal of the land border with the republic.
But it has caused trade disruptions and angry federalists have called for the rules to be scrapped, arguing they create a barrier between Northern Ireland and the rest of Britain.
The UK wants to renegotiate the terms of the protocol but the EU is only willing to make changes.
Lord Frost has now drawn up plans to permanently change the protocol, telling Tory activists he will ‘soon send a new set of legal texts to the EU’.
He said he believes the protocol now runs the risk of undermining the Good Friday Agreement and that the threshold for triggering Article 16 has been met.
He warned that ‘tampering around the edges’ would not fix the fundamental problems with the protocol and urged the EU to be more ‘ambitious’ in its approach to find an agreed solution to the ongoing issues.
Arguing that a ‘significant change’ is needed, he added: ‘If we can agree something better, we can get back to where we wanted to be – a friendly relationship with the EU based on free trade’ an independent Britain.
‘But we can’t wait forever. Without an agreed solution soon, we will need to act using Article 16 safeguards to address the impact of the Protocol on Northern Ireland.
‘In the end this may be the only way to protect our country – our people, our business, our territorial integrity, the peace process, and the benefits of this great UK of which we are all a part.’
The Northern Ireland Protocol has caused trade disruptions and angry federalists have called for the rules to be scrapped, arguing they create a barrier between Northern Ireland and the rest of Britain.
His comments are likely to be seen as a sign that the UK is ready to roll out the mechanism this year if there is no success.
Labor’s shadow Northern Ireland secretary, Lewis High, said that ‘Lord Frost negotiated every single word of the deal, which he now defames at every opportunity’.
He accused the cabinet office minister of “instigating tension by not solving anything”.
Lord Frost used his speech in Manchester to look at opportunities presented by Brexit, such as new trade deals and a new immigration system.
He said: ‘All history, all experience, shows that democracies with free economies, which allow people to have more of the money they earn, make their own decisions, and manage their lives, are not only are more prosperous, but also happier and more. admired by others.
‘That’s where we need to take this country. The opportunities are huge. Our old nightmare of EU membership is over. The British renaissance has begun.’
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