On the basis of his own rhetoric, the prime minister must seek reform of the Northern Ireland Protocol

When unionists make reference to London’s plans to overhaul the Northern Ireland Protocol, some Irish nationalists supporters of the EU taunt them.

Have you not heard this before, goes the cry?

It is certainly true that this has been a long and sorry saga.

After denying that there even as a border in the Irish Sea, by last summer Boris Johnson’s government had made clear that it was going to (in effect) rewrite the protocol.

This column has many times rehearsed what has happened since then, as have other observers.

There has, it is clear, been considerable discussion and disagreement between ministers as to whether or not unilateral action against the EU is the right way to go.

Now we learn that a bill that was to rectify profound constitutional and practical problems with the protocol will not be tabled this week, as planned, and will instead be pushed into next week.

It has been deeply disappointing for unionists to observe the lack of action to date, but even setting that aside, the prime minister does need to think through how it will look if he does not make the crucial amendments that he and his administration have promised to make.

They have talked in depth about diversion of trade, about the scale of paperwork required to make internal UK trade movements, about the alienation of one section of the community, and above all about the threat the protocol poses to the Belfast Agreement.

Imagine that Mr Johnson just buckles to his critics.

He will then be having to argue that he was wrong to say that the protocol was so damaging, but that it is indeed so harmful to Northern Ireland, but that he can do nothing about it.

We hope that ministers will conclude that there is no other option but to press ahead with the right course of action, and try to secure the much needed reform.