David Frost: UK 'considering options' on NI Protocol

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Jayne Adye, director of grassroots, cross-party campaign group Get Britain Out, issued her stark warning with negotiations over key issues including the Northern Ireland Protocol pointed to get back underway. And she emphasised her belief that despite the Prime Minister’s assurances, Brexit was not yet “done” – while voicing her concerns that despite the wholesale changes resulting from the 2019 election, the current crop of MPs was not up to finishing the job.

Ms Adye said: “For years Brexiteers have had to fight tooth and nail to change the political landscape in Westminster so it better reflects the views of the country, displacing hundreds of MPs who tried for so long to undermine our vote and tie us to the EU for decades to come. As it turns out things don’t seem to have changed.”

She said: “Many Brexiteer MPs now seem more concerned about saving their own skins than keeping up the pressure to make sure we are not in a situation where we could be drawn back into the European Project.

“If things don’t change, and the Government is not forced to sort out the remaining issues with the EU soon, this is exactly where we are heading – yet no action is being taken so far.”

Ms Adye paid tribute to MPs including former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and David Jones, deputy chairman of the European Research Group whom she said had “not taken the easy option to move on”.

But she added: “In many recent interactions with MPs, I have found myself facing a brick wall! MPs who previously proudly fought for Brexit, are no longer even willing to talk – in any form – about the outstanding issues, claiming they must focus on bringing Remainers back onside and they are now ignoring Brexit entirely because they have different headline-making priorities!

“I have written evidence of this addressed to me personally, and it is deeply frustrating.”

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With reference to the impending end of the recess, Ms Adye said: “We are now approaching September – the month where our roll-over agreements with the EU over Northern Ireland expire.

“Yet we have heard nothing from the majority in Westminster questioning the lack of action in the past months.

“Instead, we continue to drift closer and closer to a situation where Northern Ireland is cut off from the rest of the United Kingdom.”

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Such a pattern could not continue if MPs previously trusted by Brexit supporters with their votes wanted to retain their seats next time around.

Ms Adye stressed: “This is not about every MP’s speech and written articles being Brexit-related, or only making representations on behalf of Brexiteers.

“But maybe I sound naive when I say I expect an MP who has been a vocal supporter of Brexit to continue raising important issues which are still of great concern as we move towards a truly Global Britain.”

She emphasised: “I know one thing for certain though, Brexiteers will not be fobbed off and treated as a guaranteed vote come the next General Election, should there continue to be a failure to deliver a real Brexit for the entire United Kingdom.

“So instead of solely focusing on getting Remain supporters back onside, Conservative MPs should think about properly finishing the job, so we can all benefit from a truly Global Britain.”

Lord David Frost is scheduled to resume negotiations next month in a bid to avert what some fear could escalate into a full-blown trade war in the dispute over EU rules for Northern Ireland.

The debate will probably centre on an EU ban on British chilled meats including sausages and burgers, being sold in Northern Ireland.

The grace period from the EU’s red tape unilaterally imposed by the UK is scheduled to run out at the end of September, at which point British bangers will no longer be permitted to be sold unless an agreement is struck.

A British official told Express.co.uk last week: “We received a constructive reply from the Commission in response to our request for a standstill on existing arrangements.

“Officials are in contact and we will be in engaging in talks with the EU in the weeks ahead to progress the proposals in our Command Paper.

“As we’ve said previously, significant changes are needed to the existing mechanisms of the Protocol to ensure that it is suitable for future.”

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