The UK will override parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement if upcoming EU proposals amount to “tinkering around the edges” of the Northern Ireland protocol.
The EU is expected to announce an end to the so-called Sausage Wars this week with new proposals for the sale of British chilled meats in Northern Ireland, but Brexit minister Lord Frost is expected to ask for further concessions.
A government source told the PA news agency that the UK would trigger Article 16 of the protocol – suspending parts of the agreement – if the EU proposals are found to be unsatisfactory.
Labour accused the government of putting its “out of office on” during a string of crises. Boris Johnson is reportedly on a week-long holiday in a luxury villa on the Costa del Sol.
His trip comes as millions of households will see the costs of living rise during the energy price crisis, removal of the temporary uplift in Universal Credit benefits, supply chain issues, and higher taxes from next year.
Shadow chief secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “In the teeth of a crisis of its own making, the Govt has put its out of office on.
“The PM has gone on holiday, no one knows where the Chancellor is, and this morning we understand the Business Sec has entered the realms of fantasy.”
Her comments came after Kwasi Kwarteng, secretary of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), said on Sky News that he was working closely with chancellor Rishi Sunak to help companies survive the energy price crisis.
An anonymous Treasury source disputed this claim and said of Mr Kwarteng: “This is not the first time the secretary has made things up in interviews. To be crystal clear the treasury are not involved in any talks.”
