UK: Undersecretary of State Says EU Trade War on Northern Ireland Unlikely

The UK government does not expect a possible decision to circumvent parts of the terms of the Brexit deal for Northern Ireland that would lead to a trade war with the European Union, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told the BBC.

“I do not think there will be a trade war,” Kwarteng told the BBC in a television interview on Sunday. “I think it would be completely self-destructive if they went to war on trade, but it depends on them.”

Relations between the UK and the EU have deteriorated at a critical juncture due to the repeated threat of the UK to unilaterally rewrite the Brexit divorce agreement, which the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson negotiated and signed – but has not yet fully implemented. now argues that it was never intended to be the “final” solution.

Kwarteng reiterated that the government has the right to “unilaterally” review the Northern Ireland Protocol, which sets conditions for trade between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which is part of the EU. The EU has threatened to respond by imposing barriers to trade in the United Kingdom.

UK Secretary of State Liz Truss is expected to provide details as soon as this week on how the government plans to deal with what it sees as the economic and political upheaval caused by the protocol, two people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg on Friday. theme. However, he does not intend to immediately remove the parts of the agreement that affect the region and wants to continue talking to the bloc, said one of the people.

Source: Capital

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