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Liz Truss will launch a charm offensive with Brussels today in a bid to break the Brexit deadlock over Northern Ireland.
The Foreign Secretary will host European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic for a two-day summit at her official country residence Chevening as she tries to end the border row threatening to destabilise the Province.
Miss Truss will warn Mr Sefcovic that the EU ‘shares responsibility to protect the peace in Northern Ireland’ and remind him that Britain reserves the right to invoke Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol – which would let the UK unilaterally suspend EU checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea.
But the minister will also table ‘pragmatic’ new proposals designed to break the deadlock which has dragged on since the UK left the EU.
And she will stress that resolving the Northern Ireland issue could open the door to better relations between Britain and the EU in a wide range of areas.
One source said the Foreign Secretary believes there is a possible ‘landing zone’ for a deal, which could be struck within weeks.
Liz Truss will launch a charm offensive with Brussels today in a bid to break the Brexit deadlock over Northern Ireland
Speaking ahead of the opening of today’s talks, Miss Truss said: ‘There is a deal to be done that protects peace in Northern Ireland, defends our Union, and maintains the integrity of the United Kingdom and EU. But it will require a pragmatic approach from the EU.
‘I will be putting forward practical, reasonable solutions starting from these fundamental
