Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney, a key voice in Brexit negotiations between London and Brussels, said there is now pressure on both sides to begin resolving the matter before the loyalist marching season in June. Mr Coveney after a meeting with European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic, said: “The last thing we want to see is moving into a marching season this summer, without Covid-19 restrictions keeping people in their homes, without many of these issues resolved politically. So, I think there is a pressure that we find a way to come up with solutions by some point in June, and I think the Commission is very much aware of that and I’m sure the British government is too.”

He added: “It’s not for me as an Irish minister to be setting deadlines.

“My role in this is to work as part of the EU, but also to reach out to colleagues in London as well, and of course in Belfast, to find a sensible, pragmatic way forward here that everyone can live with.”

The Irish Foreign Minister said a meeting of the EU-UK Joint Committee, which implements the Protocol, could take place in the first week of June, which would be chaired by Mr Sefcovic and UK counterpart Lord Frost.

Mr Coveney is hopeful such a meeting could open routes for a roadmap to manage and implement the Protocol, urging both sides to work together “technically, legally and politically” in order to reach a joint veterinary agreement that would “reduce the need for the majority of inspections at ports in Northern Ireland.”

Brussels has warned this would require the UK to align with EU food safety and animal health rules to cut the number of checks and controls on the Irish Sea, but Britain is demanding an “equivalence” agreement to measure outcomes.

The Irish Foreign Minister told RTE News: “The British position has been clear for many months that they would like to see equivalence of standards recognised in the UK and the EU’s position is equally firm and clear that they can’t do that legally without setting a precedent for a whole load of other third countries that the EU has a relationship with, so instead what they want is alignment with EU rules on sanctuary and phytosanitary veterinary standards.

“There is going to be a need for a solution that is somewhat different to both of those purist positions if you like, and I think that’s what technical teams are looking at the moment, and whether it’s possible to put that together. We’ll have to wait and see.”

He added: “There are various ideas being discussed, but it isn’t a straightforward issue and a lot of countries in the EU are watching how the Commission resolves this because, of course, the most important issue for the EU is that we protect the integrity of our own single market and the member states within it.”

FOLLOW BELOW FOR LIVE UPDATES:

12:15am update: Brexit backlash as EU properties being sold by expats: ‘Not a nice feeling’

BREXIT is seeing many expats in Europe selling their properties as living in the EU is no longer “worth it”.

British expats in Europe have faced chaos in recent months as post-Brexit rules plunge many into uncertainty.

Now that the UK is a third country to the EU, Britons are limited to stays of 90 days within every 180 days in the bloc.

Before the EU-UK trade deal was implemented on January 1, expats were able to enter and leave member state countries on a whim.

In Spain, Britons looking to register as residents of the country are now facing bureaucracy and have to prove earnings of £2,000-a-month — and £500 more for each dependent — as well as acquire Spanish driving licences.

11:15pm update: Boris Johnson to repeal David Cameron’s ‘catastrophic’ law that almost halted Brexit

Boris Johnson is set to repeal the Fixed-term Parliaments Act (FTPA), which according to historian David Starkey was “a catastrophic modification of Britain’s constitution”.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will reclaim powers to trigger an early election.

The Government has not had full control over the timing of an election for a decade, since the Cameron-Clegg coalition passed the FTPA in 2011.

Under the Act, a general election is scheduled for the first Thursday in May of the fifth year after the previous vote, although there are situations where an election can be called earlier.

Oliver Trapnell takes over from Richard Percival

9:30pm update: France to resume talks with Jersey on fishing access

France will reopen negotiations with the Channel Island of Jersey “in the coming hours” over the licensing of French fishing boats after tensions flared about new access rules, Maritime Minister Annick Girardin said today. 

She told parliament the UK territory had offered to postpone its new rules until July.

Addressing Parliament, the Minister added: “Jersey has proposed pushing back these technical restrictions to end-July, so that we can resume talks in the coming hours, and I am going to respond in writing.”

8pm update: Irish fishermen lash out at EU as bloc enforces strict rules – ‘Absolute disaster!’

Irish fishermen have expressed outrage after the EU was forced to step in and ordered fishermen to land and weigh their catch in line with bloc rules.

The European Commission withdrew Ireland’s plan for weighing fishing catches at the end of April because of a lack of confidence in the country’s monitoring system.

All fish landed by small Irish inshore vessels and supertrawlers with substantial mackerel catches must now be weighed at the point of landing, on or close to piers in line with the bloc’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) rather than Ireland’s own rules.

6.30pm update: Lord Frost calls on EU to show pragmatism on the Protocol 

In his first official visit to Northern Ireland today, Lord Frost met with a number of business and community representatives to listen to their experiences and to reaffirm the Government’s commitment to address issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The visit forms part of the UK Government’s ongoing engagement with stakeholders in Northern Ireland, including through the Northern Ireland Business Engagement Forum and Brexit Business Taskforce.

He said: “We’re committed to working through the issues with the EU urgently and in good faith. I hope they will take a common sense, risk-based approach that enables us to agree a pragmatic way forward that substantially eases the burdens on Northern Ireland.”

4:45pm update: EU must stop ‘punishing’ NI over Brexit, says Minister 

The EU must stop “punishing” Northern Ireland over Brexit, NI’s Economy minister has said.

Diane Dodds highlighted the continuing difficulties businesses in the region were having bringing in goods from Great Britain as a consequence of new red tape required under the terms of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The protocol, which was incorporated into the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement to help avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, has left Northern Ireland tied to a range of EU customs and regulatory rules.

3:15pm update: Trade deal with Nigeria could be on the cards 

Brexit Britain is ready to target a bumper new trade deal with Nigeria, a Tory MP has claimed.

With Liz Truss setting out Britain’s post-Brexit future, Helen Grant, Tory MP for Maidstone and The Weald and trade envoy to Nigeria claimed a trade deal with the country could be significant for UK plc.

Referencing her desire to “bang the drum” for UK trade abroad, Ms Grant boasted of Nigeria’s emerging economy – the largest in Africa – and the impact it could have for British business.

1.05pm update: ‘Sore losers!’ Von der Leyen and Barnier blasted over relentless threats to Brexit Britain

The EU acted like “sore losers” and tried to hijack Brexit and stop other member states from leaving the bloc, according to a Dutch think tank director.

Rutger van den Noort, founder of Nexit Denktank, lambasted EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and former EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier over their relentless threats to the UK.

The pair of EU chiefs have continuously attacked Britain over its decision to leave the bloc and issued threats over the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement signed with the UK, he said.

11.50am update: Brexit boom starts now: SEVEN new laws announced to exploit UK’s freedom from EU

Seven new pieces of legislation are being planned by ministers to make the most of the UK’s freedom from the EU.

At the State Opening of Parliament, the Queen outlined a number of areas the Government is planning to alter legislation following Brexit. The Queen’s speech is the first since the UK left the EU in January 2020.

Addressing MPs and peers in the House of Lords, Her Majesty explained the Government’s legislative programme for the next 12 months.

Work has been underway over the last year to build a reform programme to provide new opportunities for growth, to slash bureaucracy, and bolster workers’ rights and animal welfare standards.

10.22am update: Sturgeon’s magic money tree! SNP’s indy folly exposed as spending 30% higher in Scotland

Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP will struggle to make ends meet if she achieves her independence dream, because public spending in Scotland is 30 percent higher than in England, with the rest of the UK footing the bill, an economist has warned.

Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, has said the party’s total failure to cost any of its plans prior to last week’s Holyrood elections should sound alarm bells for Scots as Ms Sturgeon renews her push for a second referendum.

However, he pointed out that while nationalists preferred to focus on soaring rhetoric and talk of Scotland being liberated, the SNP – and to an extent all three major parties – had neglected to talk about brass tacks.

9.34am update: ‘You’ve ignored Brexit!’ Lisa Nandy shamed for Labour Party pandering to Remainers

Lisa Nandy has been shamed over the Labour Party’s pandering to Remainers as the Shadow Cabinet minister was told her party “ignored Brexit!”

Labour’s Shadow Foreign Secretary joined Susanna Reid and Alastair Campbell on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Tuesday morning to discuss the fallout from last week’s election results.

Susanna Reid slammed Labour for being out of touch with leave voters and warned Ms Nandy her party was ignoring the Brexit vote.

8.50am update: Michel Barnier claims Brexit Britain acting ‘like buccaneers’ after Jersey fishing row

Michel Barnier accused Boris Johnson’s Government of acting like “buccaneers” after the Jersey fishing row.

Appearing on French TV, Mr Barnier threw his support behind the country’s fishers and blasted the changes in access to Jersey’s waters.

He said: “I think the French fishermen are right and they must be supported.

“The French authorities, the government and the European Commission must support these fishermen because they have the right to obtain the right to fish in these waters near Jersey and Guernsey, where there are less problems.”

Mr Barnier also blasted Britain’s handling of the Jersey row, and said: “I think that the British are behaving like buccaneers – and it’s not the first time.”

8.12am update: SNP continues to pile pressure on Boris over IndyRef2

Boris Johnson has been warned he must “respect the will of the Scottish people” by allowing a second referendum on Scottish independence.

The SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford has issued the new warning following the Scottish election last week.

Scotland’s ruling party did not win an outright majority, but the eight Green MSPs who were elected mean that 72 of the 129 members support independence.

7.50am update: Boris sends Lord Frost to Belfast for crisis talks over NI protocol as EU issued warning

Lord Frost will visit Northern Ireland as the UK and EU remain at loggerheads on efforts to reduce Brexit red tape on the movement of goods.

The Cabinet Office Minister will visit Northern Ireland this week and hold talks with Arlene Foster and Michelle O’Neill over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Express.co.uk has learned Lord Frost will also meet local businesses which have been affected by the post-Brexit trading arrangements.