Brexit: Digest of business-focussed articles from national and international media, selected by George Hamilton. Some may require a subscription to obtain the full version (paywall).
The opening story today is about whether or not the UK is going to try and water down the checks needed for the new “Irish Sea border”. Having floated the idea yesterday in the Sunday Times, No 10 is now pulling back (with warnings in its ears). But the ambiguity (duplicity?) about the extent of checks goes on, as does the real nature of the government’s position on the upcoming talks generally….
Also in this issue
- Boris’ people are now briefing that UK business generally could be thrown under the bus in the upcoming talks.
- And chlorinated chicken is, apparently, back on the menu.
Brexit: ‘No border between NI and GB’ – NI secretary
The Brexit deal will not mean a new border between NI and the rest of the UK, the NI secretary has insisted. Brandon Lewis said: “We always said there will not be a border down the Irish Sea, there’ll be unfettered access for business.” Earlier Downing Street said the deal would mean “limited changes” to trade between GB and NI.
The Irish government and the EU have urged the UK to honour all the terms of the Brexit deal. At the weekend, the Sunday Times reported UK officials were seeking to evade any new checks on goods passing from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. The paper suggested Downing Street was working on plans to “get around” the Northern Ireland part of the deal, known as the Ireland protocol.
On Monday, the prime minister’s official spokesman said: “The UK signed the Withdrawal Agreement including the protocol last month, we will comply with our obligations.”
The spokesman added Boris Johnson had “been clear that beyond the limited changes which are introduced by the protocol, there will be no changes to GB/NI trade”.
Taoiseach (Irish PM) Leo Varadkar said the Withdrawal Agreement was an international treaty and he expected the UK to “honour that in full. We totally understand why they may want to minimise any checks at the ports and airports in Northern Ireland, we want to do that too,” he said.
“But the agreement clearly says if there have to be checks anywhere, they would happen at the ports and airports in Northern Ireland rather than on the land border between north and south.” The EU said implementing what had been agreed would be “very important” for establishing trust between the UK and EU in future negotiations.
Dana Spinant, deputy chief spokeswoman of the European Commission, said: “The Withdrawal Agreement has been signed and ratified by both sides and as such it must be effectively implemented. That includes of course the protocol on Northern Ireland and all its constituent parts.” – BBC NI news 24 Feb
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-
And the Guardian warns of wider problems if the checks protocol is not fully implemented:
Brexit: UK reneging on Northern Ireland pledges risks trade deals with US and EU
Former Irish ambassador to the EU Bobby McDonagh said reneging on it [the NI protocal] would have serious consequences, including posing a risk to a future deal with Washington, where there is considerable support for Ireland.
And Catherine Barnard, professor of EU law at Cambridge University, said there would be immediate consequences if the UK did not show good faith both legally and reputationally. “If we renege on the terms of the withdrawal agreement, that will trigger the dispute resolution arrangements in the withdrawal agreement”
Barnard said one of the issues is the mystery over the size, nature or makeup of the joint UK-EU committees that will thrash out and agree the precise list of controls and checks that will be needed in Northern Ireland from January next year.
According to Whitehall sources, the top committee known as the “joint committee” is expected to be established by the end of March. It will decide on the overall implementation of the deal, with a handful of “specialised committees” and “working groups” set up beneath it to work on issues such as the Northern Ireland checks, EU citizens’ rights and Gibraltar. – Guardian 24 Feb
UK prepared to sacrifice business for sovereignty
Boris Johnson has laid down a tough red line ahead of Britain’s trade negotiations with the EU, warning that he is prepared to walk away from the table and impose new costs on UK business, rather than accept a deal that impinged on British sovereignty.
Downing Street said: “The UK’s primary objective in the negotiations is to ensure we restore our economic and political independence on January 1st, 2021.”
It is the first time Number 10 has explicitly said that Britain is prioritising sovereignty issues over the demands of British business, which is seeking to minimise barriers to trade when the transition period ends next year.
It is also a warning to the EU27 countries, which are finalising their own mandate for the negotiations, that Britain will not be prepared to accept constraints on its ability to diverge from Brussels rules. – Financial Times/Irish Times 24 Feb
https://www.irishtimes.com/
“Room for sensible discussion” on chlorinated chicken
In an apparent nod to US concerns over Britain’s tough stance on food and agricultural standards, George Eustice, the Environment Secretary, appeared to soften the UK’s resistance to importing American chemically-treated chicken.
Although Mr Eustice said there were “no plans” to allow imports of chlorine-treated chicken, which is illegal in the UK, he said it was an outdated technology which had largely been replaced in the US by chickens being washed with lactic acid.
“There is room for a sensible discussion here [with the US] because we also use lactic acids for some species, notably on beef though not poultry,” he said.
The moves on US trade will be seen as an attempt to pile further pressure on the EU, whose leaders have questioned whether a trade deal can be agreed before the end of year and are resisting the Prime Minister’s demand for a Canada-style agreement.
Boris Johnson is set to kick start trade talks with the US within the next two weeks amid frustration in Number 10 at EU “time wasting.”
The Prime Minister will next week publish the Government’s “red lines” for its US trade negotiations, which are expected to push back on American demands for drug and health firms to have greater access to the British market.
