EU Commission calls on UK to ditch ideology over Northern Ireland protocol

Maro efovi says he is trying to iron out disruption to businesses caused by the protocol

A senior European Commission figure has defended the Northern Ireland protocol, calling on the UK government to ditch ideology in favour of pragmatism in order to transform problems arising from the Brexit deal.

Maro efovi said he was looking at solutions" to iron out disruption to businesses caused by the protocol, a key part of the Brexit agreement designed to protect the bloc's single market at its frontier with the UK on the island of Ireland, without a return to a hard border.