BORIS Johnson is using law-breaking clauses in the Internal Market Bill as a Brexit negotiating tactic, Ireland's Foreign Affairs Minister has said.

Simon Coveney said the controversial bill, parts of which breach international law in what Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis called "a specific and limited way", should not be used by the UK to derail EU negotiators.

Speaking on Ireland's RTE Radio, he suggested some problems linked to the legislation, which reneges on part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement, may "find a way of disappearing if we can get the negotiation agreed on the substance".

Last month the House of Lords voted to remove some parts of the Bill, but these are expected to be put back in by the Tory government today.

Meanwhile, trade talks continue.

 

The UK Government has said it is trying to put in place a "safety net" to stop the European Union from putting Irish border customs agreements into practice in way that limits inter-UK trade.

But ministers in Dublin and Brussels have expressed frustration over the move.

In the radio interview, Coveney said the proposed legislation could be a barrier to a final trade deal.

He stated: "I don’t see how, even if there is a compromise agreed this week, that that agreement would be ratified if the UK, in two pieces of domestic legislation, is breaching the withdrawal agreement, which isn’t even 12 months old.

"Instead of being distracted by those two pieces of legislation, the EU and the UK negotiators need to focus on getting a deal here that’s in the interests of both sides."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to speak to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tonight.

If talks fail, No-Deal Brexit will see tariffs and border checks imposed on trade with the 27-member bloc.

The transition period ends on December 31.