Thread by @nickgutteridge

1/ So, just two months into the new UK-EU relationship we've already reached the point where the two sides are arguing over what constitutes a breach of the NI Protocol. Britain says it's done nothing wrong. Brussels is fuming. What's up? thesun.co.uk/news/14224105/…

2/ The latest row is about the UK's announcement that it plans to unilaterally extend grace periods exempting goods going from GB to NI from EU checks. These were agreed in the NI Protocol and are due to expire at the end of the month. But the UK is prolonging them until Oct 1.

3/ Today's announcement concerned health certificates usually required when moving products of animal origin. But later this week the UK is also expected to bring forward similar measures covering parcels and shipments of goods containing soil like pot plants and seed potatoes.

4/ The UK can do this because it's the one carrying out checks on goods moving between GB and NI on behalf of the EU. Although the EU has a presence in NI and legal powers to oversee - and even order - controls on shipments, it's largely reliant on British customs officials.

5/ So why is the UK doing this, and why now? British officials say it's to protect supply chains for NI supermarkets. They've already asked the EU to agree an extension to these grace periods of up to two years, but talks in the new UK-EU Partnership Council have gone slowly.

6/ Supermarkets place orders a month before products arrive, so shops in NI need to know now what sort of restrictions they'll be facing, or empty shelves will ensue. This is particularly relevant to EU rules preventing imports of chilled meat products - known as the burger ban.

7/ The UK side is adamant that this move does not constitute a breach of the Protocol and describes it as a 'common trade practice' around the world. They say EU Member States themselves regularly use such measures to 'temporarily delay' the implementation of new trading rules.

8/ They're trying to downplay it's significance and say it's not meant to be seen as a 'hostile act'. And they insist the UK fully intends to introduce the relevant certification requirements in the Autumn once businesses in NI have had more time to adapt to Brexit changes.

9/ UK spox: 'We're committed to meeting our obligations in a pragmatic and proportionate way, but there have been challenges that are having a direct, and often disproportionate, impact on lives and livelihoods, including an unacceptable disruption to the flow of critical goods.'

9/ But the EU is furious. Though the Commission was forewarned of the UK's announcement, it's extremely unhappy about the unilateral nature of it which it sees as a 'violation of good faith'. And it's angry at yet another row about the UK potentially breaching the Brexit deal.

10/ The Commission said the move is 'the second time the UK is set to breach international law' and 'constitutes a clear departure from the constructive approach that has prevailed up until now'. And it comes just a day after Lord Frost took charge of UK-EU relations from Gove.

11/ EU sources suspect this is a rerun of the IMB saga, with the UK using the threat of unilateral action to try and negotiate a better settlement. There is already a growing weariness that this is how the relationship may pan out. They're learning to 'keep our expectations low'.

12/ But such rows erode trust and goodwill. One EU source says confrontation appears to be the new modus operandi of British diplomacy. And there's a risk it all becomes tit-for-tat, with the Commission already saying it may respond with legal action.

13/ All this comes before the new EU-UK trade deal has even been fully ratified by MEPs. While it still seems very unlikely the EU Parliament would vote down such an important treaty - with all the economic implications - it's a more unpredictable beast now than in years gone by.

14/ And beyond that - coming on top of early sparring over shellfish exports, vaccine supplies, musicians visas etc - this latest row appears to herald an inherently unstable and highly politicised EU-UK relationship for the near future. An inauspicious start to new beginnings.