UK will do ‘whatever necessary’ to reform Northern Ireland Brexit protocol, says minister

theguardian.com:

The UK government will take “whatever measures are necessary” to reform Northern Ireland’s Brexit protocol, the justice secretary, Dominic Raab, has pledged, amid fears the newly elected Stormont assembly could be put on pause until Christmas.

In the wake of a resounding election victory for Sinn Féin, the DUP has said it cannot take up its position as deputy first minister until Brexit checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain are removed.

Raab told Sky News on Sunday: “If anything, the outcome in Northern Ireland from those elections makes it clear it [a protocol fix] can’t be put off.”

He suggested it would be dealt with in the coming “weeks and months”, warning that stability in Northern Ireland was being “imperilled” by the dispute over the protocol – which was agreed by Boris Johnson’s government as part of the Brexit divorce from the EU in 2019.

London’s threat to take action will increase tensions between Westminster and Brussels, with the UK insisting all options remain on the table – including the possibility of unilaterally scrapping elements of the deal.

That could trigger a major breakdown in relations between the UK and European Union with Brussels previously threatening a trade war if such unilateral action was taken.

The war in Ukraine has switched the political focus across Europe and while talks between UK and European Commission officials have been under way since last October the momentum has stalled.

The Northern Ireland secretary, Brandon Lewis, last week indicated that the UK would not take immediate legal action over the protocol, saying the UK preferred to resolve the issue through negotiation.

Sinn Féin’s historic victory in Northern Ireland has resulted in it overtaking the DUP as