EU Could Halt TCA, Gibraltar Talks If UK Suspends NI Protocol-BBG

Bloomberg reporting that the EU could end its trade deal with the UK and halt talks over Gibraltar should the UK tear up the Northern Ireland protocol in the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.

• Comes after earlier speculation (see 1109BST bullet) that the EU would risk a trade war with the UK if the NI protocol is jettisoned by the UK. This would come about by the EU suspending the Trade and Cooperation Agreement signed by the two sides in 2020.
• Bloomberg reports that "Any decision [on the TCA] would require the backing of the bloc’s 27 EU governments and would lead to a cooling off period before tariffs, quotas and other barriers to trade between Britain and the EU kicked in. The EU could terminate the whole deal or target specific industries."
• Chair of the European Parliament Foreign Affairs committee, German MEP David McAllister, tweets: "The European Union is committed to finding flexible solutions for the people and businesses in Northern Ireland in dialogue with all stakeholders and within the framework of the Protocol. Only joint work will bring certainty and predictability. Threats will not bring us forward."