Responding to the news that the European Union have launched legal action against the UK for an alleged breach of the Northern Ireland Protocol trade agreement, Liberal Democrats Spokesperson for Northern Ireland, Alistair Carmichael MP, said: “Given the Government’s track record on negotiating with the EU, this comes as no shock or surprise.
“Boris Johnson and his Government have made a pig’s ear of all of this. They have let down everyone – from farmers and fishermen, to businesses needing certainty for the months ahead.
“I’ve always been keen to stress that there were other, more collaborative ways, to go about an extension of the grace period which would work in everyone’s best interests.
“Instead, this Government was all too quick to take unilateral action. Reneging on an agreement you entered into willingly was never going to go down well, and the result is a legal process that will detract from what’s important here – working together with our European neighbours for the good of the people of Northern Ireland.”