EU could shelve Brexit trade deal if UK triggers article 16, Irish minister warns

Simon Coveney accuses British government of deliberately forcing breakdown' in negotiations over Northern Ireland

The prospect of a trade war between the UK and the EU has edged closer, with Ireland giving the clearest hint yet that Brussels plans to suspend the entire trade deal struck last December if the British government suspends the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol.

The Irish foreign minister, Simon Coveney, accused the UK of deliberately forcing a breakdown" in negotiations over Northern Ireland, adding that there was still time to step back from the brink.