Brexit negotiator says NI Protocol talks 'not hugely productive'

Talks between the EU and UK on implementing the Northern Ireland Protocol have not been "hugely productive", Lord Frost has said.

The UK's chief Brexit negotiator was briefing MPs on Parliament's European Scrutiny Committee.

He said he was hoping for progress in the next month, but the government will "have to see how far we can take it".

The protocol is the part of the Brexit deal which creates a trade border between Great Britain and NI.

In March, the UK delayed introducing some new border processes without EU agreement.

That led to the EU starting legal proceedings against the UK.

At the end of March, the UK sent a protocol "road map" to the EU, which sets out how the two sides should work together to implement the agreement.

It has formed a starting point for the current technical talks between officials.

Lord Frost said the protocol needs to be implemented in a "balanced and pragmatic" way.

''The fundamental problem for us is if the way the protocol is operating is undermining the Good Friday Agreement rather than supporting it then we obviously have a problem," he added.

"That wasn't what the protocol was meant to do and if it is doing it then it's not working right."

Earlier on Monday, an EU spokesman said: "We have been engaging intensively with our UK counterparts at expert level.

"These exchanges have been constructive.

"We are making progress."

Lord Frost again ruled out the idea that the UK could align with EU agri-food standards in order to reduce checks from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

He said: "From the EU point of view the easiest solution to any border problem is we should just operate the same rules as they do.

"That doesn't work for us and isn't going to be the solution."

He said the UK had been consistent in advancing a possible solution where the EU could recognise UK rules as being equivalent.

Lord Frost described the relationship with EU chief negotiator Maros Sefcovic as "good", although he said his mandate was set by others who "don't understand" Northern Ireland as well as Mr Sefcovic does.

He said the "degree of unsettledness" in Northern Ireland over the sea border is "stronger" than the government had expected.

However, he added that it has been caused "to some extent" by the EU's move in January where it proposed using Article 16 to impose an export ban on vaccines before reversing that plan within hours.

Lord Frost said his recent assertion that the Northern Ireland Protocol in its current form was not sustainable, was not an attempt to impose "a formal time limit or deadline".

But he said there is a "real life timetable" in Northern Ireland, which appeared to be an allusion to the loyalist marching season.