Northern Ireland: Irish government warns Johnson against breaking the Brexit agreement

Enlarge image

British Foreign Secretary Coveney warns of an escalation

PHOTO: LORRAINE O'SULLIVAN/ REUTERS

The Irish government warns of an escalation in the dispute over Northern Ireland's Brexit status.

Ireland's Foreign Minister Simon Coveney accused the British government of "saber rattling and grandstanding".

The British had previously threatened to undermine the Northern Ireland Protocol.

According to the protocol, controls at the borders of Northern Ireland (Great Britain) and Ireland (EU member) should be avoided in order to prevent conflicts between supporters and opponents of Irish unity.

In return, however, a customs border has been created between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.

The British government and the Protestant Unionist party DUP therefore fear alienation from London.

However, Brussels strictly refuses to change the protocol.

If the British circumvent the protocol, the European Union will see this as a breach of international law and threaten consequences.

The dispute is currently causing political paralysis in Northern Ireland.

In protest against the Brexit rules agreed with the EU for Northern Ireland, the most important party on the Protestant Unionist side, the DUP, is refusing to work in the parliament of the British part of the country.

On Friday, the DUP went ahead to elect a speaker of parliament.

The Protestant party also does not want to join a unity government with the Catholic-Republican Sinn Fein as long as the dispute has not been resolved.

Great Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson wanted to travel to the former troubled province on Monday for talks with the various parties.

According to the PA news agency, government circles said he would call on the politicians there to overcome the blockade.

It was never his intention to get rid of the protocol, he only advocated reforms, but nevertheless reserved the right to take unilateral steps, the PA further reported.

kha/dpa