Northern Ireland Protocol: Article 16 move would be 'tragic', Labour warns

Emily Thornberry was speaking to BBC News NI from the Labour conference in Brighton

It would be "profoundly tragic" if the government moves to trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol, a senior Labour figure has said.

Shadow Secretary for International Trade Emily Thornberry criticised threats from government that it could act unless changes are made to the NI Protocol.

Article 16 allows parts of the deal to be temporarily set aside.

The Labour MP urged Downing Street to "step back from the brink".

Article 16 can be triggered by either the UK or EU, on the condition that the protocol is causing "serious economic, societal or environmental difficulties that are liable to persist, or to diversion of trade".

The Northern Ireland Protocol is in place to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after Brexit, and does this by keeping Northern Ireland in the EU's single market for goods.

Unionists have said the protocol damages trade with other parts of the UK by creating a border in the Irish Sea.

They have already expressed support for the government to intervene by using Article 16, but the EU has insisted there will be "no renegotiation" of the protocol.

'Kicking the can'

Speaking to BBC News NI from the Labour conference in Brighton, Ms Thornberry said it was "sad" that the current UK government was "not prepared to compromise".

"This is a government that is so dogmatic, that won't roll up its sleeves and solve problems - we need grown up politicians to get in there and sort it our because it's not impossible," she said.

"The government keeps saying they're going to trigger Article 16 - I hope they don't because triggering it is not a long-term solution, the government is kicking the can down the road and they need to deal with it."

There has been strong unionist opposition to the Irish Sea border

Ms Thornberry repeated Labour's call for the UK and EU to reach a veterinary agreement to solve problems with the protocol.

The EU has tried to persuade the UK government to align with EU food and agriculture rules in a veterinary agreement which it says would cut down 80% of checks over the Irish sea border.

But the UK government has repeatedly said it cannot accept the Swiss-style agreement because it needs control over its own laws to do trade deals with other countries.