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 19:00 · Lamiat Sabin]

Johnson sets out ‘insurance’ plan to rewrite NI’s Brexit deal

Boris Johnson said his plan to legislate to rip up Northern Ireland‘s post-Brexit trading arrangements was an “insurance” policy if a fresh deal could not be reached with the European Union.

The row over the Northern Ireland Protocol has created an impasse in efforts to form a new executive in Stormont, with the Democratic Unionist Party refusing to join a new administration unless its concerns over the arrangements are addressed.

The Prime Minister travelled to Belfast to meet leaders of the Stormont parties in an attempt to secure progress - but Mr Johnson also used the trip to issue a warning to Brussels that the UK is prepared to rewrite unilaterally the terms of the Brexit deal he signed.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the Thales weapons plant in Belfast (Liam McBurney/PA)

The move could risk a trade war with the European Union, but Mr Johnson is frustrated that talks with Brussels to resolve the protocol problems have not made sufficient progress.

“None of the parties - I spoke to all five parties just now - not one of them likes the way it’s operating, they all think it can be reformed and improved,” the Prime Minister told reporters in Belfast.

Mr Johnson said “we would love this to be done in a consensual way with our friends and partners” in Brussels, “ironing out the problems, stopping some of these barriers” to goods crossing the Irish Sea from Great Britain.

“But to get that done, to have the insurance, we need to proceed with a legislative solution at the same time.”

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is expected to set out plans for legislation to rewrite the protocol when she addresses MPs at Westminster on Tuesday.

PA

[16 May 2022 19:25 · Lamiat Sabin]

That’s it for today’s coverage of UK politics news. Thanks for following.