The British government will take “whatever measures are necessary” in order to reform the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol, according to the country’s Justice Secretary.
The comments come amid new fears that the newly elected Stormont assembly could be put on pause until Christmas.
It comes as the Northern Ireland secretary has ruled out any imminent prospect of a referendum of a united Ireland.
In Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein is celebrating a historic victory in the Stormont assembly elections, despite warnings from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) that it will block the formation of a new power-sharing executive until the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol is changed.
In the elections over the weekend, it was confirmed that Sinn Fein would become the largest party, and DUP would be the second largest.
The DUP said after the elections that it cannot take up its position as deputy first minister until Brexit checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain are removed from the Brexit protocol.
UK Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said that the outcome in Northern Ireland makes it clear that a protocol fix cannot be put off, and suggested that this needs to be dealt with in the coming weeks and months.
Raab warned that stability in Northern Ireland was being “imperilled” by the dispute over this protocol.
The protocol was agreed upon by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government as part of the Brexit, which saw the UK divorce itself from the EU in 2019.
London’s threat for immediate action will increase tensions between the UK and Brussels over the protocol.
The UK says all options are on the table, including unilaterally scrapping elements of the deal. This could directly cause a breakdown of relations between the UK and EU, and even escalate into a trade war.
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