Appeasing the EU with the Northern Ireland Protocol is hurting the UK – EzAnime.net

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The UK is harming itself to appease the EU, the DUP leader has said.

Arlene Foster wants the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol to be replaced due to the disruption of Britain’s trade to the region.

He said some packages weren’t shipping yet and major retailers like John Lewis weren’t delivering despite an extension of light regulation in some areas until October.

What we are doing is damaging our own country

Stormont Prime Minister said: “Damage is occurring to the Belfast Agreement and its successor agreement.

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“It has also damaged the UK internal market by putting in place a system to protect the EU single market.

“What we are doing is damaging our own country.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in “listening mode” when he visited Northern Ireland on Friday and met with business leaders and the prime minister to hear their concerns about trade.

Deputy Prime Minister Michelle O’Neill declined to receive him.

Arlene Foster con Boris Johnson / PA Wire

Stormont’s agriculture minister has stalled work at permanent border checkpoints for food entering through Northern Ireland ports from the rest of the UK.

Ms Foster told Times Radio: “The Minister of Agriculture (Edwin Poots) is looking at all these issues.

“He is receiving legal advice and talking to officials about what to do.”

She said that food from Britain heading to Northern Ireland, such as lasagna, would be marked for sale in sterling, so it posed no risk of entering the Republic of Ireland, where they use euros.

He said the EU was imposing third-party controls, similar to if somewhere like China wanted to ship goods to its single market.

The DUP leader added: “It is completely disproportionate to what is necessary.”

Brexit / PA Wire

The Northern Ireland Assembly will be able to vote on removing the protocol in 2024.

Ms. Foster said she had to act sooner because the economy was suffering.

He added: “We need the replacement of the protocol and a much more sensible way of dealing with the risk for the (EU) single market.”

Johnson has said that the protocol was not working the way he envisioned.

The prime minister said he did not believe that the deals he made with the EU would imply restrictions on the movement of food products such as sausages, package deliveries and on soil from Britain entering Northern Ireland.

He said the protocol was operating in an unbalanced manner and as a consequence was causing irritation to the trade union and loyalist community in Northern Ireland.

Johnson said the protocol required more processes and controls than it should and that is why the government moved to delay its implementation until longer-term solutions are found with the EU.

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