Boris Johnson has secured a major concession from Brussels over the Northern Ireland Protocol after it allowed the UK on Monday to extend a number of grace periods indefinitely, averting a fresh “sausage war”.

       Lord Frost, the Brexit minister, has confirmed that the Government will now pause the imposition of sweeping new checks and red tape in the province, including for chilled meats, parcels and medicines.

       The extension of the grace periods, some of which were due to expire in October, means that the flow of goods including meat, dairy and fish from Great Britain will remain unchanged for now.

       It has also averted another standoff with the EU over the sale of British sausages and mincemeat in the province, which had been due to be banned from the end of this month.

       In a ministerial statement, Lord Frost said the standstill would provide “certainty and stability” to the province’s businesses, which had warned of significant trade disruption if the grace periods had been allowed to expire.

       While the EU has not formally agreed to extend the grace periods, sources in London and Brussels told The Telegraph the European Commission had instead confirmed it will not pursue legal action when they expire while the talks take place.

       Brussels has already paused its legal challenge over the UK’s decision to unilaterally extend a number of grace periods in March, although it warned on Monday night that it “reserves its rights” to act in future.

       It is the third time the UK has extended the grace periods to the protocol, which requires Northern Ireland to continue following EU customs rules and regulations.

       ‘Victory for Lord Frost’

       Brexiteers are likely to interpret the move as a significant victory for Lord Frost, who called for a standstill arrangement in July in order to allow the two sides time to negotiate permanent fixes to the protocol, which has caused significant trade disruption since its implementation in January.

       It has also left officials in Whitehall increasingly optimistic that a revised post-Brexit arrangement for the province is now possible, with one stating last night: “It’s about creating space for negotiations about substance rather than deadlines. They [Brussels] don’t want to be in that space either.”

       Lord Frost added that the two sides would now continue technical talks “in order to determine whether a constructive process can be established for discussing and addressing the issues identified with the protocol”.

       The minister is expected to speak to his EU counterpart Maros Sefocvic later this week, while EU and UK negotiators are in constant contact.

       However, in a sign of the gulf that exists between the two sides, the Commission insisted on Monday night it would not agree to a renegotiation.

       In a statement, it said: “Our focus remains on identifying long-term, flexible and practical solutions to address issues related to the practical implementation of the protocol that citizens and businesses in Northern Ireland are experiencing.

       “However, we will not agree to a renegotiation of the protocol. The Commission continues to engage constructively with the UK, in the interest of all communities in Northern Ireland.”

       Having fuelled significant trade disruption and anger among unionists in Northern Ireland since its implementation, the protocol is considered by the UK to be unsustainable in its current form.

       In a bid to resolve the mounting problems with the arrangements, the UK has put forward a series of proposals requesting that Brussels agrees to remove checks and restrictions on British goods entering Northern Ireland that are not at risk of crossing into the single market, while removing the flow of medicines from the protocol altogether.

       Another proposal would end the European Court of Justice’s role in disputes relating to Northern Ireland, which continues to follow EU rules under the agreement.