Johnson is taking us for fools, EU says in tariff threat

Senior EU diplomats claim London is attempting to dismantle the Northern Ireland protocol that sealed Brexit.

Boris Johnson after receiving his second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine in London last week. Picture: Getty Images

European leaders are drawing up plans to impose trade sanctions on Britain, accusing Prime Minister Boris Johnson of “taking them for fools” over the Northern Ireland protocol.

Amid growing anger in Brussels, senior EU diplomats claimed that Brexit Minister David Frost had “completely failed to engage” with the commission on implementing the agreement that came into force in January. The first meeting of the UK/EU partnership council this week will discuss issues relating to the protocol.

One EU diplomatic source accused Britain of attempting to dismantle the agreement and warned that Brussels was prepared to take unilateral action.

“You are starting to hear member states say that the time has come to show Britain that we’re serious,” the source said.

“Johnson signed the protocol and he needs to implement it. If we don’t get that clear indication in the coming weeks then we’re looking at imposing retaliatory trade tariffs. The feeling is at the moment that Johnson is taking us for fools.”

Under the terms of the trade and co-operation agreement either side can impose retaliatory tariffs on the other’s exports for breaching the agreement, pending independent arbitration. This also covers the Northern Ireland protocol.

The European side said Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission vice-president in charge of the Brexit negotiations, felt betrayed that the UK had not begun building the infrastructure for physical checks on goods entering Northern Ireland, despite assurances from Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office Minister.

Mr Sefcovic is also angry that a promise to give the EU access to UK customs data has not materialised.

“These are all things in the agreement that Gove pledged the government was working on. But we see no evidence that Frost is following through on them,” the source said. “We are reaching the end of the road.”

The EU said it was prepared to table “flexible” solutions to some of the problems in the protocol at next week’s meeting, such as a “trusted trader scheme” to reduce physical checks at the border.

However, another EU source said they saw no evidence that Britain was willing to compromise, adding: “If Frost does not reciprocate there will be trouble. Our flexibility needs to be reciprocated. People are angry.”

A senior UK government source denied that it had been inflexible and said Lord Frost had tabled more than a dozen papers with solutions to the problems but with no written response from the EU.

“Throughout these talks the EU has prioritised the protection of the single market above all else, even though there is very little risk to it,” they said.

“The EU has a responsibility to work with us to find solutions to address the issues we are facing and ensure the protocol can operate in a pragmatic and proportionate way.”

Simon Coveney, Ireland’s Foreign Minister, told the Irish Times that his government wanted to avoid a situation where the EU would take retaliatory action against Britain.

“I think there is a sense within the EU and within EU capitals that the frustration has got to result in the EU perhaps changing the approach,” Mr Coveney said.

“And instead of constantly trying to offer solutions and flexibility, remind the UK that there are consequences to not implementing agreements that have a basis in international law.”

He added: “From an Irish perspective, the last thing we want here is a legal standoff between the two sides or retaliation on the back of noncompliance with international agreements.”

The Times