Truss to resume crunch Northern Ireland Protocol talks with DUP and EU next week

Foreign secretary Liz Truss will meet with DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson for crunch talks on the Northern Ireland Protocol next Thursday.

Sir Jeffrey continues to reiterate his threat has to the Irish executive at Stormont, unless the stalemate between London and Brussels is ended.

Last week he demanded Ms Truss to set a deadline to either secure a deal or trigger Article 16.

The Article permits elements of the deal being temporarily suspended if they are evidenced to be causing “serious economic, societal or environmental difficulties that are liable to persist, or to diversion of trade.”

The Protocol was implemented to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the wake of Brexit by keeping Northern Ireland in the EU’s single market for goods.

Ms Truss will also host a dinner at her Chevening residence with Maros Sefcovic, her European Commission counterpart next Thursday.