Guardian-UK To Continue To​ Unilaterally Suspend NI-GB Border Checks

The Guardian is reportingthat the UK gov't is set to continue to unilaterally suspend border checks on goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Report states that "London will notify Brussels of its decision on Thursday in its formal response to seven lawsuits brought by the EU over the alleged failure of the UK to comply with the Northern Ireland protocol. The UK will also request that a full specialised committee on EU programmes, the official forum for Brexit implementation issues, takes place next week."

• Calling for a specialised committee meeting takes place next week could be a sign that the UK gov't intends to trigger the Article 16 procedure under the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement that would suspend the protocol due to its improper functioning.
• Risks an aggressive EU response, with veiled threats from Brussels to the continuation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (the FTA between UK and EU) in the event of Article 16 being triggered/the passage of the Northern Ireland Protocol bill in the UK.