Boris Johnson picking Brexit fights to distract from scandals, Keir Starmer says

Labour leader says triggering Article 16 will not solve problems in Northern Ireland

Keir Starmer delivers his keynote speech to Labour conference (Getty Images)

Boris Johnson is deliberately picking Brexit fights with the EU to distract from scandals back in the UK, Keir Starmer has suggested.

The Labour leader claimed the prime minister was hoping to draw attention away from fiascos like the Owen Paterson lobbying affair by talking tough abroad.

It comes after the government dramatically ramped up the rhetoric against the European Union just as it was forced to U-turn on abolishing a corruption watchdog.

Brexit minister Lord Frost warned on Friday that triggering Article 16 and suspending the Northern Ireland Brexit agreement was "on the table".

But Sir Keir told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show on Sunday morning: "There's a little bit of me, Andrew, I am afraid that can't help think that the Prime Minister is constantly trying to pick a fight on things like this so he hopes people don't look elsewhere in the forest, which are things like the Owen Paterson affair."

MPs were deluged with angry correspondence after they tried to abolish a corruption watchdog to let Mr Paterson off the hook for a Commons suspension. The MP, who ended the affair by resigning, had taken tens of thousands of pounds in cash from companies who he went on to lobby the government for.

The Labour leader would not be explicitly drawn on whether his party would oppose the government in triggering Article 16 – a mechanism built into the Northern Ireland protocol that effectively suspends the deal. There is not expected to be a vote in parliament on the matter.

But he said: "I don't think that triggering Article 16 will resolve the dispute in relation to the Protocol in Northern Ireland.

"That isn't in the interests of the communities in Northern Ireland or businesses in Northern Ireland. What is in their interests is resolving the issues.

"Because of the way the protocol was drafted, because of what the Prime Minister signed, it is perfectly true that there are checks from Great Britain to Northern Ireland - we want to reduce those."

The Labour leader added: "What I am saying is don't rip up the protocol because that has that very important central purpose, which is to protect the no border in Northern Ireland."

Sir Keir said as an alternative he would like to see "both sides sitting down and resolving this". More talks between Lord Frost and his EU counterpart Maros Sefcovic are scheduled for next week.

The Labour leader, who was previously seen as a major supporter of a second referendum, said repeatedly throughout the interview that he wanted to "make Brexit work" – a slogan he used in his recent party conference speech.

Former Tory prime minister John Major warned on Saturday that it would be “colossally stupid” to trigger the treaty provision. The EU has warned of “serious consequences” if the UK pursues this course of action while businesses in Northern Ireland have said it will cause more disruption and uncertainty.

The agreement struck between the two sides was designed to stop a hard border from appearing between Northern Ireland and the Republic, but also puts controls on trade between Britain and the EU.

The UK has taken issue with the controls it signed up to and says it wants the protocol to be changed. The EU has presented proposals to do this – but the UK says they do not go far enough. The UK is also critical of the role of the European Court of Justice in overseeing the deal, and says it wants to remove any role for EU judges.

Some reports speculative reports suggest Mr Johnson wants to trigger Article 16 – the agreed mechanism to suspend it – after the Cop26 climate summit is over and Britain is no longer in the spotlight.