Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, said he wants to settle a dispute with the European Union on Northern Ireland's post-Brexit trade arrangements, but he left open the possibility of unilateral action, which the EU fears may lead to a trade war. Johnson was scheduled to visit Belfast on Monday (May 16) to persuade local politicians to create a new power-sharing government, which was established as part of the 1998 Good Friday peace accord.

        Pro-British unionists declined to join a new government after elections this month because they oppose the Northern Ireland Protocol, which oversees post-Brexit trade. Johnson stated that modification of the Protocol was necessary for Northern Ireland to progress, according to extracts from an essay set to be published in the Belfast Telegraph newspaper late Sunday.

        "There is without a doubt a logical landing location that protects everyone's interests," he added. "Our common goal must be to garner as much cross-community support as possible for a reformed Protocol in 2024." Johnson signed the Protocol in 2019 to allow Britain to exit the EU's single market and customs union without reimposing controls on the Irish Republic-Northern Ireland border, which was a key aspect of the peace agreement.

        However, the idea essentially established a customs border between the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, alarming many Unionists. Johnson has been attempting to rewrite the Protocol, threatening unilateral action if the EU does not accept London's ideas.

        In his newspaper piece, he stated, "I hope the EU's attitude changes." "If it doesn't, we'll have no choice but to act." "The government has a long-term obligation to ensure that Northern Ireland's consumers, people, and companies are safeguarded." In the next days, we will provide to parliament a more complete assessment and future measures."

        On Sunday, Ireland's foreign minister, Simon Coveney, asked Johnson not to implement new trade regulations that may jeopardize the Northern Ireland peace process. "Sabre-rattling and grand-standing in Westminster, ratcheting up tension, is not the way to accomplish it," Coveney said, adding that London, Dublin, and Brussels could find answers.

        "There's no way the EU can compromise if the UK is contemplating unilateral action to enact domestic legislation to put aside international commitments under an international treaty," he said when asked about the potential of punitive EU trade measures if London went through on its own. The US has advocated for ongoing talks between the UK and the EU in order to end the impasse.