Boris Johnson is set to make an emergency visit to Northern Ireland, as the crisis over the protocol deepened with the unionist DUP blocking the election of a speaker at Stormont.

       Sinn Fein first minister designate Michelle O’Neill said that she was expecting the prime minister in Northern Ireland on Monday, when she will tell him to “stop pandering to the DUP”, which is refusing to join a power-sharing executive while the protocol is in place.

       Her comments will fuel expectations that the PM will announce plans for legislation to override parts of the controversial Northern Ireland protocol, which he agreed in 2019 in order to keep the border with the Republic open after Brexit but which he now blames for disruption to trade.

       There was no immediate confirmation from Downing Street of Mr Johnson’s visit on Monday, which comes amid increasing sabre-rattling from the UK administration over the future of the deal with the EU. London has been accused of “threats and blackmail” by Brussels after foreign secretary Liz Truss told European Commission vice-president Maro？ ？ef？ovi？ on Thursday that the UK would have “no choice but to act” unless the EU gave in to demands to scale back customs checks.

       Ms O’Neill insisted that the protocol was “here to stay” and urged London to return to the process of negotiation with Brussels.

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       She said the DUP has “punished the electorate” by boycotting the election of a speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, which requires cross-community consent under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.

       “I would say to the DUP to get real, to understand the public need a functioning executive, to understand that we need to be in this executive together, working together for the people that have elected us, and that the protocol issues can be resolved alongside that work,” she said.

       Ms O’Neill said that Northern Ireland was being used as “a pawn in the middle of a battle between the British government and the EU”.