Thread by @pmdfoster

Interesting test of UK-EU relations coming up shortly, as the UK government unilaterally grants itself more time to adjust to 'Irish Sea border' controls (export health certificates etc) for GB 'exporters' from April 1 to "at least" Oct 1st /1

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northe…

On the downside, this move is 'unilateral' - i.e it wasn't agreed in the Joint Committee , which risks being seen as breach of good faith.

On the upside the @DefraGovUK email to stakeholders still talks about "phased" implementation of the certificates. So not walking away./2

@DefraGovUK Indeed that advice says that the Govt continues to urge all traders to "accelerate their readiness preparations"....so which speaks to the UK govt's official acceptance of the need to implement the NI Protocol /3

@DefraGovUK Govt sources say they acted unilaterally because the EU was moving too slowly was going to 'fix' the problem until March 29th - which was way too close to the original April 1 deadline when full Export Health Certificates were due to be enforced. /4

@DefraGovUK And they've been supported by business groups who say even if the move was unilateral, it was definitely needed. /5

https://twitter.com/MichaelAodhan/status/1367142525769768960

@DefraGovUK And as @JP_Biz has reported - and I can concur - privately on both sides it was recognised back in December that the deal had come so late that the April 1 deadline for full EHCs was going to have to slip. But no-one said, in order to spur biz./6
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northe…

@DefraGovUK @JP_Biz But all that said, the UK's unilateral actions sets a precedent in the management of the Protocol that @MarosSefcovic says has raised "strong concerns" on the EU side /7

https://twitter.com/MarosSefcovic/status/1367171880189362184

@DefraGovUK @JP_Biz @MarosSefcovic The arrival of @DavidGHFrost on the scene also puts the EU on its guard - since Frost has been deliberately confrontational through his dealings with the EU (in 2019, over IMB in 2020) even though this move was, per source, signed off by @michaelgove /8

@DefraGovUK @JP_Biz @MarosSefcovic @DavidGHFrost @michaelgove What is also unclear is the extent to which this government is really committed to the Protocol (despite talk of 'phased introduction') when the ERG and DUP are all demanding the Protocol is junked/ripped up and replace by other ideas /9

@DefraGovUK @JP_Biz @MarosSefcovic @DavidGHFrost @michaelgove To what extend Frost and @BorisJohnson will be swayed by those demands, and will really want a full-blown confrontation on the Protocol remains unclear. Perhaps testy back n forth, leading to gradual concessions is preferable? /10

@DefraGovUK @JP_Biz @MarosSefcovic @DavidGHFrost @michaelgove @BorisJohnson Ultimately, for all the flaws of the Protocol (an NI-only 'frontstop' that May said no PM could ever sign) we are where we are - it needs to be made to work, and neither side had much of a thought-through strategy for it not working /11

@DefraGovUK @JP_Biz @MarosSefcovic @DavidGHFrost @michaelgove @BorisJohnson One of the problems, however, is that moves like this make both sides dig in to their respective positions - and the Irish Government which had supported UK asks for grace periods - are caught between two stools. This @simoncoveney speaks to that./12

@DefraGovUK @JP_Biz @MarosSefcovic @DavidGHFrost @michaelgove @BorisJohnson @simoncoveney The Protocol remains in a fragile state. The danger is that moves like this to try and force flexibility only reinforce inflexibility when (see above) in practice the grace periods needed extending anyway! Shame that politics (on all sides) is getting upper hand ENDS.