UK ministers have created a 'red line' barrier to negotiations with EU, says Simon Coveney

Responding to Mr Coveney, UK Brexit Minister David Frost said he preferred 'not to do negotiations by twitter'

Simon Coveney. File Picture: Dan Linehan

Foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney has questioned whether UK ministers are actually in favour of an agreement in negotiations with the European Union around the Northern Ireland protocol.

In a tweet this morning, Mr Coveney said Westminister created a new "red line" barrier to progress that it knows the European Union cannot move on.

"EU working seriously to resolve practical issues with implementation of Protocol - so UKG creates a new 'red line' barrier to progress, that they know EU can’t move on…. are we surprised?

"Real Q: Does UKG actually want an agreed way forward or a further breakdown in relations?"

EU working seriously to resolve practical issues with implementation of Protocol - so UKG creates a new “red line” barrier to progress, that they know EU can’t move on…. are we surprised?
Real Q: Does UKG actually want an agreed way forward or a further breakdown in relations? https://t.co/4MhgEdlxAf

— Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) October 9, 2021

The protocol was negotiated to avoid a hard border with Ireland, by effectively keeping Northern Ireland in the EU’s single market for goods.

In response, the UK's Brexit Minister David Frost said he preferred "not to do negotiations by twitter."

"The issue of governance & the CJEU is not new. We set out our concerns three months ago in our 21 July Command Paper," he said

"The problem is that too few people seem to have listened.

"We await proposals from @MarosSefcovic . We will look at them seriously & positively whatever they say. We will discuss them seriously and intensively.

"But there needs to be significant change to the current situation if there is to be a positive outcome."

2. We await proposals from @MarosSefcovic. We will look at them seriously & positively whatever they say. We will discuss them seriously and intensively.

But there needs to be significant change to the current situation if there is to be a positive outcome.

— David Frost (@DavidGHFrost) October 9, 2021

Indeed, Mr Frost is expected to use a speech in Portugal on Tuesday to call for “significant” changes to the post-Brexit agreement he negotiated, including over the role of the European Court of Justice.

His warning will come a day before the EU is expected to produce plans to resolve issues with the protocol, which has led to economic barriers between Northern Ireland and Britain.

Brexit Minister David Frost. Peter Byrne/PA

Mr Frost will use the speech in Lisbon to warn that compromises must go far further than this to address issues such as the role of the European Court of Justice in Northern Ireland.

“The EU now needs to show ambition and willingness to tackle the fundamental issues at the heart of the protocol head on,” he is expected to tell the diplomatic community.

“The commission have been too quick to dismiss governance as a side issue. The reality is the opposite," he will say.

“The role of the European Court of Justice in Northern Ireland and the consequent inability of the UK Government to implement the very sensitive arrangements in the protocol in a reasonable way has created a deep imbalance in the way the protocol operates.

“Without new arrangements in this area, the protocol will never have the support it needs to survive.”