The UK government makes concession in trade talks with EU

A senior British official yesterday briefed London-based EU journalists that Johnson was no longer seeking the immediate axing of the European Court of Justice from its role in enforcing the so-called Northern Ireland protocol.

Although Johnson wants to settle the "governance" issue of the protocol in the longer term, EU journalists were briefed to focus on securing the smooth flow of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Stefanie Bolzen, London correspondent of Die Welt, tweeted that the UK official said: "If Protocol works as advertised, it can provide advantages" for Northern Ireland, which uniquely has a foot in both the UK and EU markets for goods.

According to journalists at the briefing, they had been explicitly summoned to report the "shift" in UK government thinking — an olive branch that could help broker a deal with Brussels.

But when accounts of the briefing started to emerge, Downing Street desperately attempted to downplay what had been said, fearing it had undermined the negotiating position of Brexit minister Lord David Frost.

Both sides have been talking for weeks about a dramatic reduction of checks on goods at Irish Sea ports, including medicines, animals and food, and reducing customs inspections.

The apparent concession by the UK comes amid pressure from Washington on Johnson not to follow through on his threat to activate the Article 16 override mechanism that would allow him to suspend parts of the deal.

Despite that statement, the formal briefing of EU journalists suggests Johnson wants to "park" the ECJ issue to secure a breakthrough in other areas.

In a move described as "an important shift", the UK official said that "no one is demonstrating on the streets of Belfast" in protest against the role of the ECJ.

The US refuses to remove tariffs on UK metals, with senior figures in Washington linking that to Johnson's threats over the protocol's operation.

The protocol is the part of the Brexit deal that aims to keep an open border in Ireland.

Summarized www.sba.tax

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