Boris Johnson is expected to “come out all guns blazing” over the Northern Ireland Protocol if a solution is not found, the Daily Express understands. This comes as the UK and the European Union are braced for a significant breakthrough on the hated Northern Ireland Protocol, as a major agreement between the two countries has been reached.
Britain has reportedly struck a customs deal with the bloc, which could pave the way to finally ending the dispute over Northern Ireland.
The EU is also understood to have made a major concession to the UK, accepting for the first time that the European Court of Justice (ECJ) can only rule on issues relating to Northern Ireland only if a case was referred by the Northern Irish courts.
This is a break from the previous line taken by Brussels, which formerly insisted that the European Commission should be able to take cases straight to the court itself.
However, there is concern that the UK could make concessions allowing for a bigger role for the ECJ in policing the protocol.
A bigger role for the ECJ would stall any progress in solving the issue, as it would be unacceptable for both the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and for many in the right wing of the Tory Party, the Daily Express understands.
The DUP is currently staging a boycott of the Stormont Assembly in protest of the protocol, refusing to return until the issues are resolved.
The party insider told the Daily Express that Mr Johnson could seize on this issue to “stir the pot”.
They said that the role of the European Court of Justice is “absolutely the crux” of the DUP’s argument, warning that the court’s role is “about sovereignty and the constitution”.
The source added: “Boris is going to take anything he can to stir the pot.
READ MORE: EU and UK set for final breakthrough on hated Brexit deal
According to the Times, the customs element of the deal had been due to be announced last month but was pulled at the last minute.
One source told the paper that Brussels was concerned Mr Sunak could not sell the complete package to the DUP and Brexiteers in his own party.
The customs agreement is understood to be largely based around a system of green and red lanes, with goods destined for Northern Ireland allowed in without routine checks.
Meanwhile, goods for export to the Republic of Ireland would undergo customs checks in Northern Irish ports.
The Government has stepped up its efforts to resolve issues with the Protocol in recent months, which have been ongoing since October 2021.
There has been no functioning devolved government at Stormont since February 2022, with the DUP demanding fundamental changes to the Protocol before it considers a return to the assembly.
The party has laid out seven tests that any deal on the protocol must meet in order for the party to end the stalemate.
The insider said there is no chance that DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson would budge on the seven tests, saying that to do so would be “electoral suicide”.
Mr Donaldson has described the Protocol as being the “greatest ever threat to the economic integrity of the United Kingdom”.
