NI protocol critics ‘have no alternative’, says EU ambassador

Joao Vale de Almeida said the protocol is the solution for the problems created by Brexit'

Political leaders who want the Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland dumped have failed to come up with any better ideas, the EU ambassador to the UK has said, as police confirmed 41 officers were injured during violence on the streets over the weekend.

Joao Vale de Almeida called on unionist leaders to focus on making the protocol work rather than fighting against it, pledging the EU's commitment to flexibility on its implementation if the British government demonstrated good faith.