PM call with President of the European Commission: 22 July 2021

The Prime Minister spoke to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, this morning.

They discussed the UK’s Command Paper on the Northern Ireland Protocol published yesterday.

The Prime Minister set out that the way the Protocol was currently operating was unsustainable. Solutions could not be found through the existing mechanisms of the Protocol. That was why we had set out proposals for significant changes to it.

He urged the EU to look at those proposals seriously and work with the UK on them. There is a huge opportunity to find reasonable, practical solutions to the difficulties facing people and businesses in Northern Ireland, and thereby to put the relationship between the UK and the EU on a better footing. They agreed to remain in touch.