Why Is Everyone Talking About Brexit and Northern Ireland Again?
- Britain wants to scrap protocol it signed as part of Brexit
- EU may retaliate with tariffs if U.K. rows back on agreement
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The U.K. and the European Union are embroiled in a fresh stand-off, with Britain calling for the Northern Ireland Protocol -- the crucial agreement on which the whole Brexit deal rests -- to be replaced.
In a major escalation this week, Britain’s Brexit minister David Frost called for the scrapping of the sensitive compromise with the EU that was designed to prevent a hard border emerging on the island of Ireland. Under the accord, customs checks are carried out on goods moving between the U.K. and Northern Ireland.