The DUP will have its day out in Westminster next week. The party will get debating time in the House of Commons on Monday. It flows from the DUP petition, seeking the triggering of Article 16, which attracted the necessary 100,000 signatures.
Grace periods are in place to allow ‘settling in time’ before some further Protocol-related measures kick in. The DUP leader says when those new arrangements come into force and Northern Ireland is subjected to more trade restrictions that don’t apply in Britain, unionist disquiet will further increase. Mrs Foster said yesterday "as you know, I don’t negotiate on behalf of the United Kingdom government. That’s left to the prime minister of the day.
The Unionist politicians, opposed to the Protocol, cite examples of how the consequences of the Protocol are causing discontent.Peter Robinson, a former DUP leader, recently suggested that if unionist discontent grows, the opinion of withdrawing from the Assembly might be considered.And the DUP, the only major party to support Brexit, could find itself under pressure from the right and left in any Northern Ireland Protocol-linked election.
There has been no hint or whisper from London, Brussels or Dublin that the contentious protocol will be abandoned. It was clear there was no appetite for unpicking an important element of a Treaty that took years to negotiate. Such carefully-crafted language requires time and thought. It is likely the statement was agreed and nailed down before the European Commission Vice President departed from Brussels for his London meeting.
Downing Street’s official line is that Lord Frost will seek to maximise post-Brexit trading opportunities when he becomes a full cabinet member next month.