THE UK has made a unilateral decision to continue suspending border checks on farm produce and other goods entering Northern Ireland from Britain.
The move is likely to antagonise but not provoke further action by the EU.
It comes as the EU considers its next steps after receiving the UK’s response to legal threats over the failure to comply with the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol.
London will notify Brussels of its decision on Thursday in its formal response to seven lawsuits brought by the EU regarding the UK’s failure to comply with the protocol.
Despite politics being paused during the mourning period for the Queen, the Government responded to the EU's legal action ahead of Thursday’s deadline.
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The bloc had requested a response to its raft of infringement proceedings over the UK’s failure to comply with the rules before the end of the day.
The European Commission launched four infringement proceedings two months ago accusing London of failing to comply with the logistics of the customs checks and risk controls regarding the movement of goods into Northern Ireland.
European Commission spokesman Daniel Ferrie said: “I can confirm we have received a reply from the UK. We will now analyse the reply before deciding on the next steps.”
The detail of the UK’s response remains unclear, but the government was expected to set out how it believes that no operational changes to how the protocol works are required.
The UK’s latest move means farm produce such as sausages, ready meals and dairy items from Britain can still be delivered to shops in Northern Ireland without physical checks that they comply with EU standards.
Brussels is not expected to respond to the move until it has fully assessed the UK’s response to its legal challenges.
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European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will be in Westminster for the Queen’s funeral on Monday.
It is unclear if she will meet Prime Minister Liz Truss while in London although Truss is expected to hold some talks with political leaders during their visits.
There have been unconfirmed suggestions Truss will speak to Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin on the margins of the funeral amid tensions over the protocol.
Downing Street has said they won't be commenting on the matter at this time.
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