Brexit: Frost discusses missed ‘opportunity’ to end NI Protocol

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The damning condemnation comes after former Brexit Minister Lord Frost had given a speech blasting Ms May’s handover of power to Mr Johnson labelling it as the “worst of all worlds.” Speaking to Policy Exchange, Lord Frost said Mrs May had made too “many concessions” whilst in power, hence leaving Britain in an unattainable position over Northern Ireland.

However, former aide Mr Barwell was quick to defend his former boss in a series of tweets claiming Lord Frost and Mr Johnson are to blame for the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Taking to Twitter, the former Downing Street Chief of Staff said: “A thread on a remarkable speech by Lord David Frost in which he admits he blinked in the negotiations and the PM misled people about the deal, seems oblivious to the damage it has done and has the nerve to portray himself as a Unionist despite risking it to get Brexit done.”

Mr Barwell continued by citing examples of where Lord Frost and Mr Johnson failed on Brexit.

He wrote: “He seems to have missed the damage to UK/EU trade, particularly among small businesses, the lorry stack on the M20 and the government’s refusal to implement checks at the border – putting our businesses at a disadvantage – because they know the harm such checks will do.”

Mrs May’s former advisor continued: “Next he complains about people accusing him of either not understanding the implications of the Protocol or of signing it without intending to observe it.

“For the record, I agree he knew what he was doing, but he is lying when he says he intended to observe it – he always intended to partially unravel it and he admits as much later in the speech.”

The aide then went on to slam the Prime Minister over his role surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol.

He said: “This isn’t what Boris Johnson told the Conservative Party when he was campaigning to replace Theresa May – he said he would get rid of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

“Roll forward a few months to the autumn of 2019 when the Johnson government suggests an alternative Protocol.

“Lord Frost says ‘we recognised our policy would entail some processes in the Irish Sea but we believed most could be done behind the border’
“Again, this isn’t what Boris Johnson was telling people at the time.

“There would be no checks, people should come and see him if they were asked to fill in any forms etc.”

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Mr Barwell then suggested Mr Johnson buckled at the knees when discussing the initial plans of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

He wrote: “This Government prioritised getting Brexit done over the integrity of the Union.

“The May government spent months persuading the EU to drop the idea of a border down the Irish Sea and then the Johnson government gave in to it.”

With Loyalist dissatisfaction growing over the abandonment by the UK since the Protocol came into place, pressure is mounting on the PM to risk launching a trade war with the EU over the cancellation of the Protocol, and the triggering of Article 16.

According to recent reports, ongoing Brexit talks are at an “impasse” according to Europe Minister James Cleverly.

Has Boris Johnson failed in dealing with the NI Protocol? Should the agreement be ripped up? Did Theresa May get her Brexit ideas wrong? Let us know what you think by CLICKING HERE and joining us in our comments section below – Every Voice Matters!

With the war in Ukraine now taking political priority across Europe, Britain and the rest of the world, there is little optimism a new agreement can be negotiated sparking speculation Britain will tear up the agreement.

Mr Cleverly placed the onus of the blame on EU Chief Negotiator Maros Sefcovic, saying although he was eager to do a deal with Britain, EU red tape and bureaucracy were blocking progress from being made.

Mr Cleverly told MPs: “The truth is we have come to something of an impasse.
“And I don’t think that’s through a lack of goodwill, and I think it’s more through what we regard in the UK as an overly limited negotiating mandate.”

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