Frost: deal is still a ‘substantial’ way off

The distance remains “substantial” between the UK and the European Union in their bid to find a resolution on the Northern Ireland Protocol, the Government has said.
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Brexit minister Lord Frost and European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic met in London on Friday to continue to try and thrash out a solution on how to reform the post-Brexit agreement.

The UK and EU have both put forward proposals to address the dispute over the Protocol.

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The terms effectively kept Northern Ireland in the EU single market, creating a border down the Irish Sea.

Lord David Frost, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, speaks during the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester. Picture date: Monday October 4, 2021.Lord David Frost, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, speaks during the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester. Picture date: Monday October 4, 2021.
Lord David Frost, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, speaks during the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester. Picture date: Monday October 4, 2021.

Brussels said its proposed reforms for reducing checks and red tape were “unprecedented and far reaching”, but London has continued to reject them as not going far enough, particularly when it comes to scrapping the European Court of Justice’s role as an arbitrator of disputes between the EU and UK.

Lord Frost has set a December deadline for the Protocol talks.

The UK said the changes put forward by the EU did not go to the “extent necessary for a durable solution”.

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A Government spokesman said: “The week’s talks have been conducted in a constructive spirit.

“While there is some overlap between our positions on a subset of the issues, the gaps between us remain substantial.

“As we have noted before, the EU’s proposals represent a welcome step forward but do not free up goods movements between Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the extent necessary for a durable solution.

“Nor do they yet engage with the changes needed in other areas, such as subsidy policy, VAT, and governance of the Protocol, including the role of the Court of Justice.

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“Our position remains that substantial changes to the protocol will be needed if we are to find a sustainable solution.”

Reform measures put on the table by the EU would see an 80% reduction in checks envisaged for retail agri-food products arriving in Northern Ireland from Great Britain, with customs paperwork slashed by half.