UK will not ‘shy away’ from unilateral protocol change, says Brandon Lewis

Northern Ireland secretary reiterates stance as Liz Truss prepares to tell MPs of plans to lift checks

The UK will not shy away" from legislating to change the Northern Ireland protocol without agreement from the EU, the Northern Ireland secretary has said, as Liz Truss prepares to tell the Commons about plans to unilaterally lift checks.

The foreign secretary will tell MPs of plans to bring forward the draft legislation after a cabinet discussion on Northern Ireland. However, the timetable for the draft laws has slipped, with the text now only promised before the summer break, according to Whitehall sources.