Michael Gove: Northern Ireland border issues not ‘teething problems’

The Northern Ireland border is not facing “teething problems” but “significant issues,” U.K. minister Michael Gove acknowledged Tuesday, following threats to staff performing post-Brexit checks at the border.

“In recent days, we’ve seen an increase in community tension,” Gove told MPs after port staff in Larne were kept away from work as local police investigate threats to their safety.

The Cabinet Office Minister cited issues at the border that he “would not describe as teething problems,” a phrase previously used by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The problems, he said, “are significant issues which bear on the lives of people in Northern Ireland, which do need to be resolved.”

Gove flagged the short-lived nature of three and six-month waivers on checks for animal products like cheese and milk going into Northern Ireland from Great Britain, as well as fresh meat. Two weeks ago traders told MPs the end of grace periods will block supplies and lead to “less choice for consumers” in Northern Ireland.

“We do need to make sure that grace periods are extended,” Gove said, and “to make sure that supermarkets and traders can continue, as they are at the moment, to be able to supply consumers with the goods that they need.”

The U.K. is currently grappling with the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol, negotiated as part of the U.K.’s Withdrawal Agreement from the EU in a bid to avoid a hard border between the Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

A video conference is planned tomorrow between Gove and European Commission Vice-President MaroÅ¡ Å efčovič, who are both on a committee overseeing the protocol. The pair will discuss the situation at Northern Ireland’s ports, and are set to be joined by Northern Ireland’s First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill.

“Fixing problems on the ground now requires us all to work calmly,” Gove said. “The EU needs to work with us at speed and with determination to resolve a series of outstanding issues with the protocol.”

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