Sinn Féin MLA Declan Kearney said the Protocol will not be wished away or renegotiated, and he called on the British government to move beyond bluster and sabre rattling for the Tory party faithful and seriously engage with the EU.

Speaking after comments by Britain’s chief negotiator David Frost at the Tory Party conference, Sinn Féin’s Brexit spokesperson and minister in the northern Executive said: 

“Comments by David Frost at today’s Tory party conference are little more than bluster and sabre rattling aimed at the party faithful.

“The reality is that the Protocol exists to try and mitigate the worst implications of a hard Brexit for businesses and citizens in the north. It is in place to protect jobs, the all-island economy and to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland.  

“There is no credible alternative. It will not be renegotiated. It is here to stay. 

“The Protocol is integral to the international agreement negotiated between the EU and the British government as a consequence of the Brexit championed by the Tories and the DUP.

“The focus now must be on full and flexible implementation of the Protocol to give certainty, simplicity and stability for local businesses, and reassurance to wider society.

“That requires serious engagement by the British government in the joint framework negotiations with the EU, rather than the rhetoric of a party which has imposed the disaster which is Brexit.”