UK can scrap parts of N.Ireland protocol, advises attorney-general - The Times
(Reuters) -The attorney-general for England and Wales, Suella Braverman, has approved the scrapping of large parts of the Northern Ireland Brexit deal, The Times reported on Wednesday.
Braverman has advised that legislation to override the Northern Ireland protocol would be legal because the European Union's implementation of it is "disproportionate and unreasonable", the report said.
In evidence to her findings, Braverman says the EU is undermining the Good Friday agreement by creating a trade barrier in the Irish Sea and fuelling civil unrest, the newspaper said.
Britain on Wednesday rejected the EU's proposals to resolve a standoff over post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland, saying it would not shy away from taking direct action in a move Ireland said would trigger legal action by Brussels.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the Northern Ireland protocol, which governs post-Brexit trade rules for the British province, needed to be fixed but there was no need for "drama".
Separately, Irish foreign minister, Simon Coveney warned the EU would launch legal action and possibly impose countermeasures against Britain if London takes unilateral action that undermines the Northern Ireland protocol.
(Reporting by Jahnavi Nidumolu in Bengaluru; editing by Richard Pullin)
