There is a “growing view” in Northern Ireland that the Brexit protocol is now working, Irish premier Micheal Martin has claimed as he met Boris Johnson for talks.
The Republic of Ireland’s Taoiseach said “everyone he has met” in Northern Ireland wants continued access to the EU single market.
Mr Martin’s comments come after Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said his party will resume power-sharing arrangement until the UK-EU protocol row is resolved.
But the Taoiseach suggested the hotly-contested issue of the Northern Ireland Protocol would not be resolved by the time of the province’s May elections – saying London and Brussels would strike a deal “in the fullness of time”.
Speaking to reporters ahead of talks with the prime minister in London, Mr Martin said business leaders north of the border though the Northern Irish economy was benefiting from current arrangements.
“What’s very interesting from our perspective though is that what’s increasing and growing is a view within Northern Ireland, particularly in Northern Ireland business and industry, that the protocol is working in terms of inward investment into Northern Ireland, and in terms of access to the EU single market,” he said.
Mr Martin told reporters: “So anybody I’ve met in Northern Ireland all want to continue access to the EU single market. It’s a good basic principle to start off on.”
He added: “And my view, given the improved relationship between the UK and the EU as a result of the partnership on Ukraine, I would like to think that in the fullness of time we will be able to resolve this issue.”
Mr Martin said both Brussels and London would “take it step by step” during ongoing talks over a deal to ease some of the NI-GB checks imposed by the arrangements struck during the Brexit deal.
The Irish leader – who attended the England-Ireland rugby match at Twickenham on Saturday – defended his decision not to consult the UK before deciding to waive visa requirements for Ukrainian refugees.
“It was never on that we would be acting outside of the European Union approach to this,” he said. “I think the UK would have been well aware of the direction of travel of the European Union in respect of this measure.”
The meeting in London follows the latest remarks by the DUPs leader, who was applauded at Crossgar Orange Hall on Friday night for saying his party would not re-enter the Stormont Executive until Mr Johnson’s government acts to “protect Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom”.
Paul Givan resigned as first minister earlier this year as part of the DUP’s action against the protocol in a move which also removed Sinn Fein’s deputy first minister Michelle O’Neill from the joint office.
