Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy noticeBoris Johnson is said to be willing to "rip up" up his own Brexit deal with the EU over Northern Ireland to avoid an eruption of violence in the summer march­ing season. Senior Government sources have suggested the Northern Ireland protocol is "dead in the water" unless the EU is prepared for the UK to row back on its commitments. Lord Frost suggested the PM could trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland protocol to suspend the checks as a result - meaning the EU could hit back with tariffs on UK goods. “If the Protocol operates so as to damage the political, social, or economic fabric of life in Northern Ireland, then that situation cannot be sustained for long,” he warned. A No 10 spokesman said: "We're committed to making the Northern Ireland protocol work and we're also at the same time asking for the EU to be more pragmatic."

Source: Daily Mirror May 16, 2021 15:15 UTC