UK: No Decision On Grace Periods, EU Not Acting In Spirit Of NI Protocol

Social media awash with comments from an unnamed 'senior UK source' with multiple outlets posting comments from them following EU VP Maros Sefcovic's earlier downbeat statement.

• Sam McBride at Belfast News Letter tweets: "A senior UK source close to NI Protocol negotiations says no decision has been taken on unilaterally extending the grace period for chilled meats (which will ban chilled GB sausages, meat pies, etc, coming into NI) when it expires in three weeks, adding that "time is pressing"."
• Tom Harwood at GB News tweets: "Asked about potential violence in NI re: EU's purist implementation of protocol, senior UK source close to negotiations said: Need to show politics can solve issues not violence. Risk of EU 'nothing to see here' approach is it makes it difficult to solve through normal politics. The UK complaint is that the NI protocol was designed to give wide margins to respect the delicate balance of interests in the province. Feeling is the EU is not acting in the spirit of the protocol. While not in technical breach, EU actions are requiring it to be operated in a way that is "excessively purist" and risks undermining the purpose of the protocol which is to support the good Friday agreement and the peace process. I.e. protocol was meant to be managed flexibly."
• The outlook for any progress looks limited given how entrenched both sides are, with the UK risking EU sanctions while the EU risks the UK acting unilaterally and either compromising the Single Market or forcing EU to put checks on NI-RoI border in breach of Good Friday Agreement.
• G7 summit will prove important, with EU and UK both looking to get US President Joe Biden on their side in relation to NI protocol. UK hoping that being a close military ally of the US will help Biden see things from London's side, EU hoping Biden's staunch support of RoI will have him come down against UK actions.