Northern Ireland Protocol deal breakthrough reported

According to The Times, a proposal that would avoid routine checks on goods entering NI from GB has been accepted by the European Union.

The progress is said to be based largely on the UK Government’s ‘green and red’ lane system, to differentiate between good GB goods remaining in NI and those destined for the Republic of Ireland and the rest of the EU.

Citing government sources, the newspaper also reported that Brussels has made concessions around the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, which has been an area of particular difficulty during the UK/EU negotiations.

In response, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) said: “Our priority is protecting the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and preserving political stability in Northern Ireland and the UK internal market.

“Any solution on the Protocol must address the range of issues on the ground in Northern Ireland.

“We are currently engaging in intensive scoping talks with the EU to find solutions to these problems.”

However, officials in Brussels have rejected the claims in The Times, saying a compromise deal on the European Court of Justice's (ECJ) role in the protocol is not imminent.

In response to the newspaper’s report that the European Court of Justice could rule on issues related to Northern Ireland only if a case was referred by Northern Ireland's courts, two people close to the talks have either pushed back hard against the report or described it as loose-lipped "kite-flying" by someone in London, the BBC has reported.

Both the United Kingdom and European Union have told the BBC "challenges" remained on reaching an overall agreement around the protocol.

A precise timeline on when a deal might be concluded is not yet clear, but one official said the negotiators were in the proverbial "tunnel".

Last month the BBC reported that both sides were edging towards a broad "framework" agreement – with the most progress having been made on customs.