Truss said England had not yet unleashed the 16th division of the European Union-Northern Ireland series.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Dres speaks at the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers’ Session with guests and ASEAN countries on the last day of the summit on December 12, 2021 in Liverpool, UK. REUTERS / Olivier Douliery Photo Archive / Pool

LONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) – The UK is ready to take unilateral action to raise tariffs on goods going to Northern Ireland, President List said before holding talks with the European Union.

In Northern Ireland, part of the UK bordering Ireland, Truss is expected to hold talks with EU Vice President Maros Shefko this week to resolve differences over post-Brexit trade deals.

Great Britain and the European Union have agreed that Northern Ireland will operate effectively within EU tariffs, in order to avoid politically disputed border controls between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

However, there is friction about how this applies in practice – especially to products within Northern Ireland – as well as the role of the European Court of Arbitration in the EU.

“I want a negotiated settlement, but if legal provisions, including Section 16, are used, I am prepared for that,” Truss said. Wrote in the Telegraph newspaper.

“The people of Northern Ireland will not benefit from the same tax and expenditure decisions as the rest of the UK, or I will not sign anything that would test the movement of goods within our own country.”

EU Ambassador to the United Kingdom Jonah Vale de Almeida said on Sunday that the Coalition did not “impress” the British position on the 16th Amendment. Northern Ireland if there are significant practical issues or trade diversions.

“We have heard this from the government before, so we are not surprised, we are not very impressed, but we still believe that it will not be very useful for us to continue fighting the 16th Division issue,” he told Sky News.

“I think we need to focus on what, at least where we are, and try to find solutions.”

In December, Truss was appointed to replace David Frost as Britain’s top Brexit negotiator, and he often raised the possibility of implementing Section 16 if negotiations stalled. See more info

David Milligan’s report was edited by Paul Simao and Elaine Hartcoastel

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