Michel Barnier hits out at No 10 for not 'correctly explaining' Brexit consequences
Michel Barnier, the EU's former Brexit negotiator, speaking at Queen's University in Belfast - Credit: Liam McBurney/PA
Michel Barnier has accused Downing Street of not correctly explaining the consequences of Brexit to British businesses as a row surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol continues to heat up.
The EU's former Brexit negotiator hit out at No 10, insisting scenes of empty supermarket shelves in Northern Ireland were not the result of new checks in the Irish Sea but the withdrawal terms the UK government sought during trade negotiations.
The remarks come as crisis talks between the two sides in London drew to a close with both parties reiterating their commitment to "the proper implementation" of the protocol.
Gove was expected in the meeting to request a two-year delay to further checks on food supplies – a suggestion the EU side had been expected to turn down.
MORE: No 10 calls for extension to Brexit grace period following 'significant' border issues
MORE: Downing Street refuses to publish Brexit deal impact assessment
A joint statement said Gove and the European Commission’s vice president Maros Sefcovic had had a "frank but constructive discussion" on Thursday evening, in which they agreed to "spare no effort" in implementing solutions. The two politicians agreed to reconvene no later than February 24.
You may also want to watch:
Irish foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney described the meeting as a "good day’s work", tweeting: "Focus now is on EU/UK cooperation to implement what’s been agreed in Protocol and to work on solutions to outstanding issues linked to implementation."
But Barner disagreed and said prior to the meeting: "The difficulties on the island of Ireland are caused by Brexit, not by the Protocol,” adding that “the Protocol is the solution”.
Most Read
- 1 EU expects permanent NI Brexit border checks by middle of 2021
- 2 David Cameron claims EU referendum was 'thought through' and necessary
- 3 Whitehall ‘furiously trying to manage expectations down’ on Brexit memo
- 4 Leave camp turned Brexit into a religion to capture votes, study finds
- 5 Boris Johnson contemplates charity fund to bankroll Carrie Symonds' Downing Street refurb
- 6 Brexit has robbed Britain of the mechanism to deliver on climate change
- 7 Boris Johnson: Liar of the land
- 8 Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy sentenced to prison for corruption
- 9 Campaign urges Brits to declare themselves 'European' on 2021 census
- 10 The pandemic, pedestrians and my third bike accident
He added: "Many of these consequences have not been correctly explained, they have been generally underestimated."
“Brexit means Brexit,” he told a European Business Summit event, stealing the slogan coined by Theresa May, when she sought hard exit terms.
This comes after Sefcovic accused the UK of failing to implement the protocol.
In a letter to Gove, Sefcovic said the EU would not considering softening protocol obligations unless the UK complies with what was agreed by both sides back in December.
He added there were "very few checks" on goods entering Northern Ireland from Britain and said that non-compliant consignments were still flowing from NI into the Republic.
Become a Supporter
The New European is proud of its journalism and we hope you are proud of it too. We believe our voice is important - both in representing the pro-EU perspective and also to help rebalance the right wing extremes of much of the UK national press. If you value what we are doing, you can help us by making a contribution to the cost of our journalism.
