Northern Ireland’s stability ‘in jeopardy’ unless protocol is abandoned, says Dominic Raab

Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab has said removal of Northern Ireland Protocol checks is necessary to resolve power-sharing in Stormont following Sinn Fein’s electoral success.

Raab also suggested that Boris Johnson’s government is prepared to rip up parts of the deal unilaterally if an agreement cannot be reached soon with the EU.

Unionist DUP refuses to serve with Irish nationalist Sinn Fein in an executive unless GB-NI controls over goods agreed as part of Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal are abandoned.

Asked if Downing Street was ready to take action to rip up the deal without Brussels’ consent, Raab said “that option has not been taken off the table”.

The justice secretary told Sky News’ Sophie Ridge on Sunday that “stability is being put at risk, in danger if you will, because of the problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol”.

He added: “It is clear from the dynamics that we now see that we will not get to that position of stability unless and until [the protocol] it’s fixed.”

Michelle O’Neill, the leader of the party north of the border, challenged the DUP to drop its obsession with protocol checks and “work together” to restore shared executive power that collapsed in February.

Sinn Fein won 27 seats and received 29% of the first preference vote, compared to 25 seats and 21.3% of the first preference vote for the DUP, putting Ms O’Neill in on her way to becoming Ireland’s first nationalist prime minister.

But DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has insisted that protocol remains a barrier to power-sharing in Stormont. “The sooner that happens, the sooner we’ll be in a position to move forward,” he said.

writing on the sunday telegraph, Sir Jeffrey stating: “Now is the time for the government to act. No more words. It is time to act. The Irish Sea border must go and the protocol must be replaced.”

Raab said the executive cannot “get going” unless the protocol is “fixed”. He said the government would take “whatever measures are necessary” but declined to say whether a bill to break protocol would be included in the queen’s speech on Tuesday.

the independent he understood that it could be introduced later in the parliamentary session. Hinting at future action, Mr Raab said: “We have had constructive engagement from the EU, but not enough to solve the problem. We can’t let things stay there, we can’t let things stay there. Therefore, we will take further action.”

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis, who is due to travel to Belfast to meet political leaders in the coming days, said the results showed voters “want protocol related issues to be addressed”.

Republic of Ireland Europe Minister Thomas Byrne said “a decisive majority” of MLAs elected to Stormont want the protocol to work, calling on the UK to “engage in a renewed way” with the EU on the topic.

Ms. O’Neill said “we all need to show up” at Stormont next week, adding: “People can’t wait. People have told us that they expect us to work together. People are right.”

Keir Starmer’s Labor Party has urged the government to “prioritize practical solutions through negotiation with the EU and not chase headlines with empty threats”.

The unprecedented victory of Sinn Fein also raised the project of promoting a referendum on the reunification of Ireland.

Republican Party chairwoman Mary Lou McDonald said she believed a border poll on a united Ireland would be “possible within five years”.

Raab downplayed the possibility of a border poll on Irish reunification following the success of Sinn Fein’s Stormont.

“If you look at the results in Northern Ireland, 58 per cent of people voted for parties that support the union or for parties that don’t support constitutional change, and that is the message from the people of Northern Ireland,” he said. Sky news.