The British Foreign Secretary will reportedly move to discard large portions of the Northern Ireland Protocol after giving up on Brexit negotiations with the EU.
The Times reported officials working for Liz Truss have drawn up draft legislation to unilaterally remove the need for checks on all goods being sent from Britain for use in Northern Ireland.
The law would also ensure businesses in Northern Ireland are able to disregard EU rules and regulations and remove the power of the European Court of Justice to rule on issues relating to the region, the paper said.
Importantly, the bill would override the protocol agreed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2019 and mean the UK had breached its obligations under the Brexit agreement.
The Times said Ms Truss is understood to have concluded talks with the EU and has been told the proposed bill could lead to a trade war with the bloc.
It comes after The Sunday Telegraph said Ms Truss faces Cabinet opposition, particularly from Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Communities Secretary Michael Gove, to her plans to rip up the protocol.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, meanwhile, has said that he will not lead the DUP back into powersharing until the issue is resolved, suggesting the prospects of any quick return of the devolved powersharing Executive at Stormont are diminishing.
Sir Jeffrey said that, during his call with the Prime Minister, he “reiterated our position that we cannot nominate to an Executive until decisive action is taken on the protocol”.
Hours ahead of the Queen’s Speech, Sir Jeffrey said he will “listen carefully to what is said today in Parliament”, but warned “action must follow words”.
MLAs returned to Parliament Buildings on Monday and party leaders were also holding separate meetings with Secretary of State Brandon Lewis and spoke to Boris Johnson.
Sinn Fein’s Stormont leader, Michelle O’Neill, said she pressed Mr Johnson on the importance of a new Executive being formed.
She tweeted that, during her call with the Prime Minister, she told him the DUP’s “refusal to form an Executive is punishing the public, leaving workers and families high and dry”.
“The public here can’t be a pawn in the British Government’s game of chicken with the EU,” she said.
“Time to form an Executive now.”
SDLP MLA Matthew O’Toole branded the reported plans to scrap large sections of the Protocol as a contemptuous rejection of the democratic will of the people of Northern Ireland.
“Liz Truss has half an eye on Boris Johnson’s job, " he said. "And this plan, which demonstrates disinterest in people in Northern Ireland, disdain for the results of our election and an appalling attitude toward the rule of law, is more about her position in the Conservative Party than doing what’s right for people here."
The Prime Minister has said he does not plan to be personally involved in the Northern Ireland talks, while Downing Street played down the reported Cabinet rift over the protocol.
Asked about the Government’s position on the protocol and whether there are divisions within Cabinet over proposals to unilaterally scrap it, Mr Johnson’s official spokesman said: “I wouldn’t say that at all.
“I think our preference has always been for a negotiated solution to fix the protocol and we have been clear that we will take further steps if solutions can’t be found.
“No decisions have yet been taken on the way forward. The Deputy Prime Minister made clear the situation, it’s very serious.”
He insisted the proposals put forward by the European Commission “don’t go anywhere near far enough to make the protocol sustainable”, adding: “We believe (they) would take us backwards from where we are today. So no decisions have been taken. But we do reserve the right to take action.”
That line echoed earlier comments on Monday by Tory MP Michelle Donelan, in which the universities minister said scrapping the protocol was “on the table as one of the options” in the wake of Sinn Fein’s success in the Stormont elections.
Northern Ireland Secretary Mr Lewis last week intimated a move against the Northern Ireland Protocol was unlikely to feature in the Queen’s Speech on Tuesday.
