DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson looks to ramp up the pressure on Northern Ireland protocol this week

Sir Jeffrey, speaking to the News Letter, promised to set out his stall on what the unionist response should be if the UK government fails to “honour the commitments they have given”.

He was speaking after the UK’s chief Brexit negotiator, Lord Frost, said the UK will not sweep away the protocol as he warned conflict over the deal risks creating “cold mistrust” with the European Union.

The negotiator of the post-Brexit agreement renewed calls on Saturday for Brussels to accept a “substantial and significant change” to the deal.

Northern Ireland is effectively kept in the EU’s single market for goods by the protocol, which prevents a hard border with Ireland but has created trade barriers with Britain.

Unionists have pressed for the abolition of the protocol, but Brussels has repeatedly rejected the UK Government’s plea to negotiate it.

Speaking at the British-Irish Association conference in Oxford, Lord Frost said: “The stakes are high. The arguments can be bitter.

“And I worry this process is capable of generating a sort of cold mistrust between us and the EU which could spread across the relationship. It’s holding back the potential for a new era of cooperation between like-minded states in a world which needs us to work together effectively.”

The Tory peer reiterated the UK’s position that the “threshold” for triggering Article 16 to effectively tear up parts of protocol has been met.

But he added: “Some would like us to sweep all the existing arrangements away. That is not our position.

“It is obvious there will always need to be a dedicated UK-EU treaty relationship covering Northern Ireland. It is a question of finding the right balance.”

Asked for his thoughts on Lord Frost’s comments, Sir Jeffrey said: “I will be outlining very clearly my position on the protocol later this week, and setting out the way forward in terms of what I believe the government needs to do, and what unionism needs to do if the government fails to honour the commitments they have given in their command paper published earlier this year.”

He added: “We are very clear that the Irish Sea border needs to be removed, and that remains our position.”

Sir Jeffrey also added his voice to those expressing concern about possible food and medicine shortages resulting from the trade barriers associated with the protocol in the months ahead.

Last week, Health Minister Robin Swann warned in a briefing paper circulated among ministers and officials that patients’ lives could be put at risk by the withdrawal of medicines due to the Northern Ireland protocol.

Mr Swann expressed “deep concerns about the risk to patient health and maintaining vital medical supplies” if pharmaceutical firms go ahead with plans to withdraw medicines.

The DUP leader said: “We have had a number of stark warnings recently — both in relation to the supply of vital medicines to Northern Ireland, but also from some of the major supermarkets about food shortages this coming Christmas period.”

There have been several warnings about the possible impact on food supplies in Northern Ireland.

Just over a week ago, Marks & Spencer chairman Archie Norman warned that customers in Northern Ireland could face a “substantial reduction in food supply” and price increases later this year.

Writing for the Mail on Sunday newspaper, Mr Norman said: “The result would be substantial reduction in food supply from the UK to Northern Ireland and an increase in prices for its citizens.

“Already, M&S has had to cancel sales of our Christmas Food to Order, our top-end range service, into Northern Ireland because we just don’t know if we can get it there.”

Yesterday, Sir Jeffrey added: “I think it is essential the government acts urgently to ensure that both medicines and food supplies are able to flow freely between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and that our place within the UK internal market is fully protected in this regard.”

DUP peer Lord Dodds, meanwhile, said “clarification” about the UK government position is required following Lord Frost’s speech.

“The devil as always is in the detail and it remains to be seen what the government means by these caveats,” he said in a letter to the News Letter. “Urgent work is now needed to seek clarification and to ensure that when the British government enters negotiations it is has a clear vision for what is required and what will work to restore stability in Northern Ireland.”

l Letters, page 16

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