UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday pledged that he would do everything necessary to “maintain regional integrity” in the country and would not hesitate to suspend elements of Ireland’s ethics.
“I think there is a lot of misunderstanding in the European Union (EU) about the situation in Northern Ireland, the balance of the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process,” Johnson told the BBC in a statement to the BBC after the European summit. The minister accused the EU of creating “all sorts of difficulties” instead of using the protocol in a “sensible” way.
“If the protocol continues to be used in this way, we will not hesitate to implement Section 16, as I said before,” Johnson told Sky News. “We will do what is necessary to ensure the territorial integrity of the United Kingdom.” The British Prime Minister added: “I think we can resolve the situation, but our friends and allies in the EU need to understand that we will do what is necessary.”
Prior to the meeting with the President of the European Commission, The The British Prime Minister called for a “commitment from all sides” to the need to protect the treaties in Northern Ireland and the Good Friday Treaty, believing that there could still be room for negotiations. Boris Johnson added that the UK and the EU agreed on “the need for further discussions on this issue to find a way forward”. Downing Street further emphasized the “willingness to work within the framework of existing protocol to find radical changes and practical solutions”.
“This is our immediate focus. We have all the options on the table. We expect a solution. As it is implemented, the protocol will have a negative impact on the people of Northern Ireland. We need to find urgent and innovative solutions,” said Boris Johnson’s office.
The British government, through the Foreign Minister on Friday, said the EU should be “less clean” and “more flexible”, arguing that the unity of the United Kingdom was not open to negotiations. “The ball is mostly on the EU court,” Dominic Robb said.
Ahead of a meeting with Boris Johnson on Saturday morning, the head of the European Commission said that both the European Union and the United Kingdom should use “Brexit” and underscore the “overall unity” of the European camp. Respect.
Confirming that the EU “wants better relations with the UK”, Van der Leyen noted the growing tensions surrounding the application of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
“Good Friday and peace on the island of Ireland are fundamental. We have negotiated a protocol for the protection of the treaty signed and ratified by the United Kingdom and the European Union,” the European Commission chief recalled on his Twitter account before meeting British Prime Minister Boris Johnson within the G7 summit.
He asked French President Johnson to respect the “word given” regarding “Brexit”. Emmanuel Macron and the British Prime Minister held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit this Saturday in which they discussed the state of relations between the two countries and the European Union.
During the talks, Macron said he was ready to “re-establish” relations with the British, Elisha sources said. However, the new beginning reminded French President Johnson that “the word given to the Europeans depended on the respect of the British and the structure defined by the Brexit treaties”.
Updated at 5pm with reports from Boris Johnson.
