Reacting to Lord Frost’s statement on the NI Protocol, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Home Affairs and Northern Ireland Alistair Carmichael MP said: “This is a joke. The Government is taking us all for mugs when they say this mess could not have been predicted. They signed up to the Protocol knowing full well businesses would be caught up in a game of political football. It is time to get a grip and sort it out.
“Their confrontational attitude will get us nowhere. Instead, they must focus on working together with the EU to help those people caught in the middle of it all.
“The reality is that a solution to the Protocol’s problems is on the table by aligning with animal and food standards, which is what businesses want. That has to be the focus of all our efforts going forward.”