Northern Ireland protocol – live: Boris Johnson booed as he arrives for Belfast talks

Protesters hold placards saying ‘Back of Boris! Protect the protocol’

Sinn Fein accuses Boris Johnson of ‘coordinating’ with DUP

Boris Johnson was booed by protesters as his car arrived for Brexit protocol talks with political leaders at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland.

Demonstrators held placards reading “Back of Boris! Protect the protocol” as the prime minister’s motorcade swept into the official government residence.

Mr Johnson is meeting with the leaders of the five main parties to discuss potential changes to the post-Brexit trading arrangements.

Earlier, business leaders urged him to pull back from radical unilateral action to ditch protocol checks.

Mr Johnson has said the UK will have a “necessity to act” if the EU is unwilling to drop checks on goods coming from Britain into Northern Ireland.

Ministers are reportedly ready to table legislation as early as this week to override the protocol – despite EU warnings that such a move would violate the Brexit treaty and could spark a trade war.

Key points

• PM booed as he arrives at Hillsborough Castle
• NI businesses warn PM against unilateral action
• Boris Johnson confirms UK will set out NI protocol plans this week
• PM expected to hold talks with NI leaders
• UK calls for EU to show flexibility in resolving NI protocol standoff
• Priti Patel lifts restrictions on police stop-and-search powers

[16 May 2022 10:25 · Matt Mathers]

Minister’s ‘get better job’ comments are ridiculous and out of touch, says Labour

Labour MP Tulip Siddiq, shadow economic secretary to the Treasury, said minister Rachel Maclean’s comments advising people to get a better job show the government “could not be more out of touch or out of ideas”, our politics reporter, Adam Forrest, writes.

“As energy bills rise by record amounts for millions of families, comments like this are ridiculous – as is the prime minister’s refusal to back a windfall tax on oil and gas producer profits that could tackle the cost of living crisis.”

Wendy Chamberlain, the Liberal Democrats’ work and pensions spokesperson, said: “So the Conservatives’ answer to the cost-of-living emergency is that people should just earn more? This shows just how out of touch they truly are.”

[16 May 2022 10:40 · Matt Mathers]

Labour: Protocol solutions must satisfy both sides of the community

Boris Johnson must find solutions to Brexit's Northern Ireland protocol that satisfy both nationalists and unionists, Labour has said.

Peter Kyle, the shadow Northern Ireland secretary, spoke to Sky News earlier ahead of the prime minister's visit to Belfast.

More comments below:

[16 May 2022 11:27 · Matt Mathers]

Liz Truss accused of turning back on world’s poorest with new ‘aid for trade’ plan

Liz Truss has unveiled a major shake-up to link overseas aid to expanding trade, triggering accusations the UK is turning its back on the world’s poorest.

Our deputy politics editor Rob Merrick reports:

[16 May 2022 11:29 · Matt Mathers]

Northern Ireland business chiefs urge PM to pull back from plan to ditch protocol

Business leaders in Northern Ireland have urged Boris Johnson to pull back from radical unilateral action to ditch protocol checks, as the prime minister heads to Belfast for crisis talks.

Our politics reporter Adam Forrest has the story:

[16 May 2022 11:45 · Matt Mathers]

Sadiq Khan feels ‘incredibly safe’ despite Buffalo shooting

London mayor Sadiq Khan has said he feels “incredibly safe” despite being named by Buffalo shooting suspect Payton Gendron on a list of enemies he wanted dead.

Gendron, 18, is accused of shooting dead 10 people at a supermarket in the US city on Saturday.

Mr Khan was reportedly described as a “Muslim invader” under a page entitled “Kill high profile enemies” in a 180-page manifesto published online by Gendron.

The London mayor told the PA news agency: “It’s heart-breaking to see 10 innocent people have lost their lives at the hands of this white supremacist, this terrorist. Others have been injured.

“My key response is to make sure that we respond by showing that our diversity is a strength, not a weakness.

“We’re not going to allow this terrorist or others like him to make us cower.”

[16 May 2022 12:00 · Matt Mathers]

TUC says minister’s remarks on better-paid jobs were ‘bit rich’

Frances O’Grady, the general secretary of the TUC, has responded to Home Office minister Rachel Maclean’s remarks on encouraging people to find better-paid work, our politics reporter, Adam Forrest, writes.

“Working people don’t need lectures – they need help. Millions are working flat out but are still struggling to cover the basics,” she said.

“It’s a bit rich for ministers to tell people to find better-paid work – especially when they have presided over an explosion of low-paid and insecure jobs.”

[16 May 2022 12:15 · Joe Middleton]

Struggling with the cost of living? The Tories think it’s all your own fault

Rachel Maclean’s top tip for folks in poverty is to go out and get a better job, and if you can’t do that then beg your employer to let you work longer hours, writes Sean O’Grady.

[16 May 2022 12:30 · Joe Middleton]

John Rentoul to host ‘Ask Me Anything’ about the Northern Ireland protocol

John Rentoul will be here to answer your questions about the Northern Ireland protocol on Tuesday.

If you have a question, submit it now, or when he joins live at 1pm on Tuesday 17 May for the “Ask Me Anything” event. To get involved all you have to do is register to submit your question in the comments below.

[16 May 2022 12:36 · Joe Middleton]

UK sees ‘sensible landing’ for EU negotiations on NI protocol

The UK government sees a “sensible landing” for negotiations with the EU on the Northern Ireland protocol, No 10 said today.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Boris Johnson’s visit to Northern Ireland, the prime minister’s official spokesman said: “We have always sought to deal with this issue in a calm manner.

“That’s always been the approach we’ve taken when having negotiations with the EU or individual countries.

“That’s a view shared by both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary.

“We believe there is a sensible landing, as the Prime Minister said over the weekend, in which everyone’s interests are protected and we will keep that in mind as we set out next steps.”

Asked whether Brussels needed to “change its mandate”, the official said: “What we are clear about is the mandate given to (European Commission vice-president) Maros Sefcovic does not allow him to make the changes that we think are wholly necessary to protect peace and democracy in Northern Ireland.”

[16 May 2022 12:45 · Joe Middleton]

Partygate: Time to rethink fixed penalty notices, says Rees-Mogg

Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has called for a rethink over the use of fixed penalty notice (FPN) fines handed out to Boris Johnson and Downing Street staff over the Partygate scandal.

The Brexit opportunities minister claimed that FPNs defy the British tradition of burden of proof – arguing that they assume “you’re guilty until you prove your innocence”.

FPNs were first introduced under Margaret Thatcher’s government during the 1980s to deal with minor traffic offences, and have been used as an alternative to court prosecution.

Adam Forrest reports.