UK ‘confident’ that EU will fold and allow changes to Northern Ireland Brexit deal

Cabinet minister’s claim comes amid reports EU will offer grace period extension to suspend ‘sausage trade war’

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said the protocol needed to be changed to be made sustainable (Getty Images)

Cabinet minister Brandon Lewis has expressed confidence that the EU will agree to changes to the Brexit deal covering Northern Ireland, ahead of a deadline next week.

The Northern Ireland Secretary told the Commons Northern Ireland affairs committee that fixes to the accord were necessary and that he was "optimistic" they would happen.

It comes amid reports that the EU is set to grant the UK an extension to grace periods on imported chilled meats – amounting to a temporary ceasefire in the so-called "sausage trade war".

Lord Frost, the UK's chief Brexit negotiator, on Tuesday told MPs that the protocol was not "sustainable" in its current form and needed to be amended.

Following those comments, on Wednesday NI secretary Mr Lewis told the parliamentary committee: "We have been very clear that the current position of the protocol is not sustainable and we need to rectify that and I am optimistic and confident we will get that done in the time ahead.

"I think it is reasonable for anyone to take the view that there will be changes, there has to be."

He added: "Pretty much every single business or business representation group we have engaged with has had issues with the protocol that they want to see resolved."

The protocol effectively treats UK territory Northern Ireland as part of the European Union for customs purposes, and was designed to avoid politically sensitive border checks with EU member state the Republic of Ireland.

But it has created additional checks for goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of Britain, which have angered both unionists and businesses – some of whom has stopped exporting to the territory because of new bureaucracy.

The situation, which has seen shortages of some goods, is expected to worsen when more grace periods end later this year.

But the UK has already unilaterally extended grace periods on supermarket supplies and parcels, and has been threatening to do the same on chilled meats.

The EU has so far publicly said the UK must stand by what it signed, and has threatened to use trade sanctions included as an option in the agreement to force the issue.

But in a change of approach, Commission officials on Wednesday will brief EU member state diplomats on a possible three month extension to the chilled meats clause, subject to conditions.

The conditions would involve the UK continuing to align with European food safety rules for the duration of the period and require both sides to look for longer-term solutions.

Maroš Šefčovič, the Commission vice president who had led on Brexit issues since the retirement of Michel Barnier, is understood to have recommended member states accept the extension to avoid inflaming sectarian tensions in Northern Ireland going into the marching season.

EU sources have over the last few weeks accused the UK of doing little to implement the Northern Ireland deal since it began to apply at the beginning of this year.