The European Commission has reminded the UK government that the Brexit deal is a "binding" legal obligation, after a senior Conservative minister said there was no need to stand by the agreement.
Jacob Rees-Mogg on Wednesday told a committee of MPs that it was "nonsense" that the UK had to stick to the terms of the Northern Ireland protocol, which the government negotiated and ratified as part of exiting the European Union.
On Friday a a spokesperson for the EU's executive hit back and told reporters in Brussels on Friday that "the withdrawal agreement, the protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland, are legal obligations to which the UK is bound".
Mr Rees-Mogg, who is Boris Johnson's minister for Brexit opportunities, had told a hearing of parliament's EU scrutiny committee: "A lot of commentary that says: ‘Well, we signed it and therefore surely we should accept it lock, stock and barrel.’ That’s absolute nonsense.
“We signed it on the basis that it would be reformed. And there comes a point at which you say: ‘Well, you haven’t reformed it and therefore we are reforming it ourselves.’ And the United Kingdom is much more important than any agreement that we have with any foreign power."
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On Friday morning the Financial Times additionally reported that Boris Johnson is preparing to bring forward laws override parts of the Brexit agreement in UK statue.
The powers are expected to be included in the Queen's Speech next month and would likely spark a new political conflict with Brussels. Some unionists are annoyed that the protocol imposes frictions on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland though polls show the agreement generally has popular support there.
Asked about the reports, a European Commission spokesperson told reporters in Brussels: "It will come as absolutely no surprise to that we have no comment on press reports or unnamed sources, or other comments. I think more generally, I can simply reiterate what we have said a number of times in this press room: that we are fully committed to working jointly with the UK government to find long-lasting solutions for Northern Ireland, to bring about long-lasting certainty and predictability for people and businesses in Northern Ireland.
"Only joint solutions can do that: jointly-agreed solutions. And if you look at it, this approach is working. Only a couple of days ago we reached the solution on medicines for Northern Ireland which was agreed in record time. It's important to underline that.
"As you know, last October, we came forward with a number of serious, wide-ranging solutions for Northern Ireland. We've been working on them since and our intention is to continue working on these solutions with the UK over the coming weeks. I think finally, it's important to to underline as well that our agreements, the withdrawal agreement, the protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland, are legal obligations to which the UK is bound as much as we are."
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UK news in pictures 20 April 2022 Stella Morris the wife of Julian Assange talks to the media outside Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, after Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was formally issued with an order for extradition to the US to face espionage charges
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UK news in pictures 19 April 2022 Sunrise behind the Bass Rock off the East Lothian coast near North Berwick
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UK news in pictures 18 April 2022 Riders dressed as knights take part in the International Jousting Tournament, held at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, northern England
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UK news in pictures 17 April 2022 Cyclists take part in MacAvalanche, a mass start mountain bike race through the snow, descending over 900m from the summit of Aonach Mor in the Nevis Range near Fort William
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UK news in pictures 16 April 2022 Zara Tindall riding Classicals Euro Star takes part in the Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International Horse Trials in Norfolk
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UK news in pictures 15 April 2022 People on the beach in Bournemouth. Good Friday is set to be the hottest day of the year so far, experts have predicted, ahead of "very pleasant" spring conditions over the Easter weekend
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UK news in pictures 14 April 2022 Migrants arrive at Dover port after being picked up in the channel by the border force
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UK news in pictures 13 April 2022 A demonstrator is carried away by police outside the Department for Business in London after protesting against oil and gas production
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UK news in pictures 12 April 2022 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar (left) arrive for a meeting at Young People’s Futures, a charity investing in the future of Scotland’s young people, as part of a campaign visit in Glasgow
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UK news in pictures 11 April 2022 Studio supervisor Emma Meehan adds the final touches to a waxwork of US drag queen RuPaul at the unveiling at Madame Tussauds of the latest waxwork in Blackpool
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UK news in pictures 10 April 2022 People take part in a protest outside Downing Street in London, over transgender people not being included in plans to ban conversion therapy
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UK news in pictures 9 April 2022 Eventual winner Noble Yeats ridden by jockey Sam Waley-Cohen take the water-jump during the Grand National Steeple Chase on the final day of the Grand National at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpoo
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UK news in pictures 8 April 2022 Police officers work to remove activists from Extinction Rebellion who were hanging from suspension cords beside a giant banner that reads “End fossil fuels now”, as they stage a protest on Tower Bridge, east London, which has been closed to traffic
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UK news in pictures 7 April 2022 Lorries queued in Operation Brock on the M20 near Ashford in Kent as freight delays continue at the Port of Dover, in Kent, where P&O ferry services remain suspended after the company sacked 800 workers without notice
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UK news in pictures 6 April 2022 Performer Martti Peltonen stands beneath a chocolate easter egg as it is shattered by a crossbow bolt during a photocall for Circus Vegas in Old Deer Park, Richmond, at the start of their first British tour in over four years
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UK news in pictures 5 April 2022 New street art which has appeared in Leith, Edinburgh, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The mural features a Nightingale, the official national bird of Ukraine, against the country’s flag
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UK news in pictures 4 April 2022 Ai-Da, an ultra-realistic robot named after Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer, paints an image during a photocall in London
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UK news in pictures 3 April 2022 Cambridge women’s team celebrate after winning the 76th Women’s Boat Race on the River Thames in London
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UK news in pictures 2 April 2022 People protest against the rising cost of living outside Downing Street in London
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UK news in pictures 1 April 2022 Freight and passenger queues waiting to check in at the Port of Dover, Kent, as some ferry services remain suspended at the Port of Dover following P&O Ferries sacking of 800 seafarers without notice
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UK news in pictures 31 March 2022 A soldier of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment falls off a horse during a practice to participate in the state ceremonial surrounding this year's Platinum Jubilee celebrations at Hyde Park in London
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UK news in pictures 30 March 2022 Sheep in snow on Shetland
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UK news in pictures 29 March 2022 Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of York arrive at a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey in London
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UK news in pictures 28 March 2022 Performers including dancers from Ukraine rehearse the finale as Blackpool Tower Circus prepares to reopen following ￡1 Million renovation
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UK news in pictures 27 March 2022 Re-enactors in the grounds of Bolton Castle near to Leyburn in North Yorkshire, watch as re-enactors bring alive the story of the Battle of Towton, which took place on March 29th, 1461 at a small village near to York called Towton
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UK news in pictures 26 March 2022 Early morning swimmers play with a ball in the sea at Cullercoats Bay on the north east coast of England
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UK news in pictures 25 March 2022 A view of lorries queued on the A20 near Dover in Kent as freight delays continue at the Port of Dover where P&O ferry services remain suspended after the company sacked 800 workers without notice last week
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UK news in pictures 24 March 2022 A group of people thought to be migrants are are guided up the beach after being brought in to Dungeness, Kent, onboard the RNLI Lifeboat following a small boat incident in the Channel
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UK news in pictures 23 March 2022 John Shipton, father of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, walks with his son’s partner Stella Moris as they leave from Belmarsh Prison in London where Moris was set to marry Julian Assange
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UK news in pictures 22 March 2022 A pedestrian looks at cherry blossom trees in Battersea Park, in London
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UK news in pictures 21 March 2022 People walk by daffodils and flowering cherry blossom in War Memorial Park in Coventry
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UK news in pictures 20 March 2022 The Druid Order Spring Equinox ceremony held at Tower Hill Terrace in London. The druids hold a ceremony celebrating the rise of the light. Ceridwen, the earth mother, brings token seeds which are symbolically sown around a circle. The concern of The Druid Order is with the evolution of humanity in harmony with the universe and to teach through open meetings, ceremonies, meditation and ritual
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UK news in pictures 19 March 2022 People take part in the “Stand up to Racism” march in central London to mark UN Anti-Racism Day
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UK news in pictures 18 March 2022 A dog walker on Bamburgh Beach in Northumberland
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UK news in pictures 17 March 2022 Britain’s Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge presents a traditional sprig of shamrock to the mascot of the 1st Battalion Irish Guards, Irish Wolfhound dog Turlough Mor known as Seamus - and his handler drummer Adam Walsh during a St Patrick’s Day Parade at Mons Barracks in Aldershot, south west of London.
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UK news in pictures 16 March 2022 Lenny Boyd, 5, explores the sunflowers during a preview for Van Gogh Alive, an immersive, multi-sensory art experience combining high-definition projections of Van Gogh’s paintings with digital surround sound and aromas of Provence, at the Festival Square, in Edinburgh
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UK news in pictures 15 March 2022 Racegoers in the crowd watch the runners and riders in action as Brazil and jockey Mark Walsh win the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle on day one of the Cheltenham Festival
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UK news in pictures 14 March 2022 Nine year old Remo wears the police hat belonging to dog handle Constable Paul O’Donnell as they speak to the media at Tulliallan Police College, Police Scotland’s Headquarters
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UK news in pictures 13 March 2022 A train driver checks Locomotive 4555 as it steams up and prepares to pull out of the platform at Cranmore station on the East Somerset Railway
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UK news in pictures 12 March 2022 Surfers ride the waves at Rest Bay in Porthcawl as a yellow wind warning is in force across West Wales over the weekend
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UK news in pictures 11 March 2022 Members of the Royal Navy march through Portsmouth during a Royal Navy Freedom of the City parade
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UK news in pictures 10 March 2022 A woman walks miniature poodles into the first day of the Crufts Dog Show at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre
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UK news in pictures 9 March 2022 A visitor looks at the piece of art called "Myth Explored, explained and exploded" dated of 1993, during a press visit of the exhibition "Natural History" dedicated to British artist Damien Hirst and his formaldehyde sculptures at the Gagosian Kings Cross gallery, in London
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UK news in pictures 8 March 2022 MPs giving a standing ovation to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky after he speaks to them by live video-link in the House of Commons, in London
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UK news in pictures 7 March 2022 A mural of Ringo Starr, commissioned by Liverpool artist John Culshaw, is unveiled on the gable end of the Empress Pub on Admiral Street in Toxteth, Liverpool
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UK news in pictures 6 March 2022 Cars make their way along the flooded A1101 in Welney in Norfolk
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UK news in pictures 5 March 2022 People hold placards as they take part in a protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Trafalgar Square, London
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UK news in pictures 4 March 2022 Volunteers help sort through fresh donations after more than 500 boxes of essential supplies were gathered by Parenting Network at Portsmouth Guildhall
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UK news in pictures 3 March 2022 Commuters wait to get on a bus near Liverpool Street Station as all London Underground lines are suspended after thousands of workers began strike action in London
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The spokesperson added that EU and UK teams had been in regular contact on the issue at both a technical and political level.
Under the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol, Northern Ireland remains in the EU single market and customs area – a provision agreed by both sides to prevent a hard border from being required between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Both sides wanted to achieve this aim to preserve the Good Friday Agreement and peace process.
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But the agreement means there are some checks on trade and extra frictions between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, because the government wanted to take Britain out of the customs union and single market under its hard Brexit policy.
Recent polling from October 2021 conducted by LucidTalk to Queen’s University Belfast revealed 52 per cent of respondents believe the post-Brexit arrangement to be a “good thing”, up from 43 per cent in June that year. Asked whether the UK would be justified in triggering Article 16 53 per cent of respondents said no and 39 per cent who responded yes.