Protocol issues ‘could be resolved if UK worked with EU’, says McDonald

The Sinn Féin leader called for “less brinkmanship, less of the bad faith and the belligerence from the British Government”.

Mary Lou McDonald (Rebecca Black/PA)

Outstanding issues around the Northern Ireland Protocol “could be overcome if the British Government worked in partnership with the EU”, Mary Lou McDonald has said.

Talks between the UK and EU are continuing over post-Brexit arrangements.

The EU’s chief negotiator Maros Sefcovic indicated a “changing tone” in discussions following a meeting with Lord Frost on Friday.

However a UK Government spokesman said: “Lord Frost noted that there remained significant gaps to be bridged between the UK and EU positions.”

EU Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic (Hollie Adams/PA)

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson earlier this week reiterated his threat to withdraw his party’s ministers from the Stormont Executive if progress is not made over the protocol, which is strongly opposed by unionists who regard it as a border in the Irish Sea.

Speaking to media in Co Armagh following a meeting with a logistics firm, Ms McDonald called for “less brinkmanship, less of the bad faith and the belligerence from the British Government”.

“We need them to work in partnership with the European institutions,” she said.

“I have to say that our analysis is that the difficulty has come from the British Government, who regard Ireland, and the north of Ireland in particular, as collateral damage in their Brexit game. That is not good enough.

The ball is firmly in the court of Boris Johnson and his Government and we need to see him and them finally act in partnership, in good faith and with goodwill

“The issues that arose with the protocol have answers, have solutions, I think the European Commission has moved considerably to provide those answers.

“Now the ball is firmly in the court of Boris Johnson and his Government and we need to see him and them finally act in partnership, in good faith and with goodwill.

“If those things prevail we can find the answers, not just to medicine, but to all of the other outstanding issues.”

Ms McDonald said there was “no reason” for the British Government to trigger Article 16.

“The negotiations for the Withdrawal Agreement and the new trading arrangements and the protocol ran to the 11th hour and that happened because the British Government made a decision to negotiate in that way, right up until the last moment,” she said.

“There is no reason to trigger Article 16. We have a joint committee, we have the mechanisms to deal with issues as they arise.

“The evidence is clear now, all across Ireland and in the north of Ireland, that the vast, vast majority of people and businesses recognise the need for the protocol and they want it to work.”