DUP Pushing British Government to Deploy Brexit ‘Nuclear Option’

The Democratic Unionist Party are to push for the British government to deploy the Brexit ‘nuclear option’ over issues surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The British government is the target of pressure over implementing article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol by the Democratic Unionist Party, over issues regarding the so-called “Irish Sea border”.

The development comes soon after the government surrendered what was a red line for the UK to the EU regarding the position of the European Court of Justice in Northern Ireland.

According to a report by The Telegraph, sources within the DUP have said that the government’s use of Article 16 is necessary for the party ahead of local elections next year.

Article 16 — which allows either the UK government or EU to override the NI Protocol should it lead to “economic, societal or environmental difficulties” — has been described as the “nuclear option” for dealing with issues currently surrounding Brexit, as it reportedly risks starting a trade war between the two parties.

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has repeatedly threatened to collapse the local Stormont assembly over the issue, demanding progress is made towards removing the “Irish Sea border” in a letter seen last week.

Donaldson has consistently been an ardent critic of the Northern Ireland Protocol, claiming it “fundamentally undermines…  the economic integrity of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland’s position in it.”

“I have given space for talks. I have been reasonable, but Brussels is being unreasonable. These talks cannot go on for years,” the Unionist leader wrote. “The prime minister must realise that if there is no progress then, as I said, on September 9th, our continued participation in political institutions that are being used to impose the protocol is not sustainable.”

The party will now petition the UK’s newly appointed Brexit negotiator, Liz Truss, to trigger article 16 over the lack of progress.

“There needs to be action,” one senior DUP source told The Telegraph. “The Government has already said that the threshold for triggering Article 16 has been met.”

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss took over the role of Brexit negotiator on Monday after the resignation of her predecessor, Lord David Frost, over disagreements he had with the government regarding tax hikes and lockdown policy.

While hailed by Ex-Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage as a “true Brexiteer”, before resigning, Frost had begun to soften his approach towards the EU, abandoning a red-line issue for the UK during ongoing Brexit negotiations.

While the UK had previously demanded that the European Court of Justice must not have the final say regarding laws in Northern Ireland, Frost temporarily agreed to EU Judges having the final say regarding the implementation of certain laws in the region.

Truss has so far promised to continue where Frost has left off, saying that “the UK position has not changed” with her appointment.

Truss, a former Liberal Democrat who backed the campaign to remain in the EU, will now reportedly push for a Swiss-style arbitration system with the bloc, which would prevent the European Union from immediately referring disputes to its own European Court of Justice.