Boris Johnson will head to Northern Ireland today as the government lays the groundwork to unilaterally overwrite parts of the protocol. Tomorrow, the Foreign Secretary is expected to unveil plans for a new law to change the protocol if the EU refuses to grant concessions. Given Johnson’s frayed relationship with the DUP – the party hasn’t forgiven him for agreeing the current Brexit deal – his call for party leaders in Northern Ireland to get ‘back to work’ and form an executive is likely to have only a limited effect.
However, a 2,000-word article by Johnson in the Belfast Telegraph lifts the lid on the UK strategy when it comes to changing how the protocol is implemented. Over the weekend there have been various briefings against the Foreign Office and Truss – with some figures in No. 10 accusing her (as well as Downing Street deputy chief of staff David Canzini) of adopting too aggressive an approach in terms of language on the protocol, which has led to a souring of the mood between the two sides.
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