And former MEP June Mummery, who lambasted Prime Minister Boris Johnson as “out of his depth” in a caustic analysis, also warned Northern Ireland was facing huge problems further down the track as a result of ongoing problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol. Addressing her remarks to Lord David Frost after his speech yesterday, fishing industry campaigner Mrs Mummery said: “Lord Frost face facts our PM is out of his depth, he failed NI, and has destroyed the UK fishing industry. “The people of Northern Ireland and Coastal Communities have been thrown to the wolves.”

Referring to fellow former Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib, Mrs Mummery added: “You are a smart man, you know what needs to be done, Ben Habib is correct and you know it.”

Elsewhere, Philosopher and author Anthony Grayling took to Twitter in response to an admission by Andrew Wilson, a former MSP and an adviser to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, that an independent Scotland may have to wait seven years before rejoining the bloc. Mr Grayling commented: “Even if (!) true, so what? Indy+EU in 7 sounds good.”

However, others suggested Mr Grayling needed to look at the big picture, not least the amount of money Scotland gets from the UK Government in comparison with other areas.

Joseph Wartke explained: “Scotland is heavily dependent on fiscal transfers from Westminster.

“Ruination could be wrought in those seven years, before the supposed European saviour comes.”

Former Labour MP George Galloway was more blunt, simply posting: “Nurse!”

In other news, referring to the result of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, Robert G Mackenzie pointed out: “Although there is the small matter of the majority of Scots wishing to remain within the United Kingdom.”

In other news, Baroness Hoey – formerly Labour MP Kate Hoey – was speaking after Brexit Minister Lord Frost addressed the British-Irish Association yesterday – and said Britain would hold off of taking action, for now at least. She tweeted: “UK government say no hard border between NI and the ROI yet accept a hard border between NI and GB.

“David Frost told Parliament criteria for Article 16 to be invoked had been met so NO EXCUSE for not invoking it now Is the EU more important than NI and the Union?”

The Northern Ireland Protocol is a controversial mechanism aimed at preventing a hard border on the island of Ireland – which Unionist critics say has simply resulted in a border down the Irish Sea instead.

Article 16 provides both sides with a unilateral power to take action should the application of the Protocol give rise to “serious economic, societal or environmental difficulties that are liable to persist, or to diversion of trade”.

During his speech, Lord Frost said: “It is clear that the threshold for triggering Article 16 has been met and it is open to the UK Government to take a range of safeguard measures on this basis.

“That is simply a statement of fact.”

He added: “It is important everyone grasps the opportunity, looks at the risks of not doing so, and acts constructively.

“We are absolutely ready to do so.”

[THIS IS A LIVE BLOG: SCROLL DOWN FOR REGULAR UPDATES]

3.25am update: Britons launch furious attack as ‘obsessed’ Anna Soubry hits out at Brexit

BRITONS have reacted furiously at Anna Soubry after the ardent Remainer blamed Brexit for shortages at Ikea.

The former Conservative and Change UK MP responded on Twitter to reports of the Swedish furniture store suffering from a product shortfall.

The chain said it is experiencing issues with transport, raw materials and sourcing. It also described a “perfect storm of issues” brought on by global supply problems and labour shortages, which is says had been “exacerbated by the pandemic and Brexit”.

LBC tweeted: “Ikea stores are facing product shortages due to Brexit and lorry driver shortages.”

But responding to the LBC tweet, Ms Soubry overlooked the wider problems and laid blame firmly at the UK leaving the European Union.

She wrote: “#Brexit was built on lies.”

1.20am update: ‘Frost to confront EU with blistering Brexit demand as he opens door to ditching hated deal’

LORD Frost will warn the EU this week that the Northern Ireland Protocol (NIP) is “not sustainable” and major changes are needed if it is to continue.

The cabinet office minister responsible for talks with the EU is set to open negotiations on the future of NIP later this week. It comes as senior Conservative MPs have been privately pressing Lord Frost to ditch the agreement altogether.

However, Downing Street has insisted that Lord Frost is not planning on scrapping the protocol but focussed on finding a way forward which works for both sides.

But a source close to him has acknowledged that it is “undermining the territorial integrity of the UK” and therefore must be changed.

12.17am update: Ireland first! Irexit-backing Ex-diplomat tells Dublin to stop cosying up to Brussels

IRISH leaders including former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and current one Micheal Martin have been more concerned about keeping Eurocrats in Brussels happy than serving the interests of their own people, a former diplomat has said as he confirmed his plans to run for the country’s Seanad.

Ray Bassett has put his name forward for a seat in the assembly, which is equivalent to the House of Lords. The former ambassador to Canada, Jamaica and the Bahamas announced his intentions via Twitter on Friday.

And he told Express.co.uk one of his priorities was to reset Ireland’s relationship with the UK, as well putting some distance between Dublin and the EU – while emphasising his belief that the Irish Government has “lost its way”.

10.29pm update: Dominic Cummings rips into Boris over tax – ‘Vote Leave plan was to CUT taxes!’

Boris Johnson has been savaged by Dominic Cummings, his former chief advisor, over reports he is planning to boost national insurance to fund social care.

9.40pm update: Frost to confront EU with blistering Brexit demand as he opens door to ditching hated deal

Lord Frost will warn the EU this week that the Northern Ireland Protocol (NIP) is “not sustainable” and major changes are needed if it is to continue.

8.30pm update: Britons launch furious attack as ‘obsessed’ Anna Soubry hits out at Brexit

Britons have reacted furiously at Anna Soubry after the ardent Remainer blamed Brexit for shortages at Ikea.

7.15pm update: Nothing to fear! Britons urge Boris to take WTO rules and ‘call EU’s bluff’

Boris Johnson has been urged to proceed on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms and “call the EU’s bluff” after the bloc put forward a fresh set of proposals to shackle the UK.

5.55pm update: Prince Harry teams up with Ursula von der Leyen for new campaign – ‘Just the beginning’

Prince Harry has teamed up with Ursula von der Leyen for a new campaign following the end of the Paralympics.

4.35pm update: EU’s ‘pathetic’ approach in Brexit trading row fuels fears of NHS drug crisis

Tensions are rising between the UK and EU over plans to reach a deal over the post-Brexit protocol amid fears of NHS medicines being axed.

3.11pm update: Hope Clegg is listening! EU chief admits plot for 50,000 troops in ‘quick reaction force’

Brussels chiefs have used America’s humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan as an “opportunity” to create an EU army, critics claim.

James Bickerton takes over live reporting from Ciaran McGrath 

2.07pm update: ‘Wouldn’t get Cromwell going on holiday!’ Hilary Mantel hits out at Raab over Afghanistan

Dame Hilary Mantel, who yesterday threatened to quit the UK for Ireland over her concerns about post-Brexit Britain, has said she admired statesmen Oliver Cromwell during an interview with BBC’s Andrew Marr but delivered a sly dig to Dominic Raab by saying the famed general would not go on holiday during an international crisis.

Dame Hilary Mantel was interviewed by Andrew Marr after writing several books on Oliver Cromwell and made comparisons of the historic statesman and the political figures of today.

Among them, Dame Mantel said former Downing Street advisor Dominic Cummings liked to portray himself as an “outsider” like Cromwell and was able to scale the hierarchy by realising where the power truly was.

But Dame Mantel was less than kind to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab after she said Cromwell would not have gone on holiday during an international crisis.

12.42pm update: “You’re out of your depth, Boris”

Former MEP June Mummery has lambasted Prime Minister Boris Johnson as “out of his depth” in a caustic analysis.

Addressing her remarks to Lord David Frost after his speech yesterday, fishing industry campaigner Mrs Mummery said: “@DavidGHFrost face facts our PM is out of his depth, he failed NI, and has destroyed the UK fishing industry.

“The people of NI & Coastal Communities have been thrown to the wolves.

“You are a smart man you know what needs to be done, @benhabib6 is correct and you know it.”

11.40am update: Galloway trolls Remainer academic

A Remain-backing academic has been mocked on social media after pushing for an independent Scotland to rejoin the European Union – while ignoring the economic pitfalls of doing so.

Philosopher and author Anthony Grayling took to Twitter in response to an admission by Andrew Wilson, a former MSP and an adviser to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, that an independent Scotland may have to wait seven years before rejoining the bloc.

Mr Grayling commented: “Even if (!) true, so what? Indy+EU in 7 sounds good.”

However, others suggested Mr Grayling needed to look at the big picture, not least the amount of money Scotland gets from the UK Government in comparison with other areas.

11.02am update: Brexit basher Hilary Mantel ‘should be stripped of Damehood’ after author plots Irish move

Hilary Mantel, the Booker-prize winning novelist Hilary Mantel should be stripped of her Damehood after she revealed plans to relocate to Ireland “to be a European again” in a scathing attack on Brexit.

9.52am update: Ireland first! Irexit-backing Ex-diplomat tells Dublin to stop cosying up to Brussels

Irish leaders including former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and current one Micheal Martin have been more concerned about keeping Eurocrats in Brussels happy than serving the interests of their own people, a former diplomat has said as he confirmed his plans to run for the country’s Seanad.

Ray Bassett has put his name forward for a seat in the assembly, which is equivalent to the House of Lords.

The former ambassador to Canada, Jamaica and the Bahamas announced his intentions via Twitter on Friday.

And he told Express.co.uk one of his priorities was to reset Ireland’s relationship with the UK, as well putting some distance between Dublin and the EU – while emphasising his belief that the Irish Government has “lost its way”.

8.44am update: Brexit Britain victory as major health deal struck with Japan – 3.5m Brits could benefit

Brexit Britain is set for a healthcare win after a UK firm partnered with a Japanese pharmaceutical company to help the 3.5 million Britons with rare diseases.

British company Healx, who use Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to identify and develop drugs and treatments for over 7,000 rare diseases, has teamed up with Ono.

Ono is one of Japan’s largest pharmaceutical companies and a global leader in the field of R&D-orientated drug discovery.

The innovative technology, called Healnet, works by predicting starting points for drug discovery programmes for existing drugs that they can redevelop. It also claims to be able to jig combinations that give better benefits to patients and can make molecular changes to existing drugs.

All this helps to identify new treatments for patients with rare diseases very quickly.

8.29am update: “No more checks on EU goods”

Brexiteer Sir John Redwood has said Lord David Frost should put a stop to all EU checks on items being transported from the British mainland to Northern Ireland.

Commenting on the Brexit minister’s speech yesterday, the Tory MP for Wokingham tweeted: “Lord Frost should tell the EU there will be no more EU checks on goods passing from GB to NI for NI use.

“This is internal trade which we will supervise. No need to invoke legal process, just enforce the EU’s statement they will respect our internal market.”

8.14am update: Polling guru Curtice issues harrowing double independence threat to Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal has “fragmented” the Unionist vote, raising the prospect of Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill becoming Northern Ireland’s First Minister next year in a move that would increase the pressure for a poll on the question of Irish unity, pollster Sir John Curtice has said.

Sir John, Professor of Politics at Strathclyde University, was speaking after the publication of a Lucid Talk poll in the Belfast Telegraph indicating a slump in support for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to 13 percent, behind the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) on 16 percent, and on level pegging with Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV).

By contrast, Nationalists Sinn Fein are on 25 percent, and leader Mrs O’Neill would likely become First Minister if the results were replicated in next year’s Northern Ireland Assembly elections.

Sir John told Express.co.uk: “The levels of party support are not that surprising.

“Therefore so long as that fracturing of Unionist vote remains in place, Sinn Fein looks like they’ve got a good chance of coming first next year, not because they’re any more popular but because of that division.”

8.01am update: ‘EU is a slow suicide!’ Brussels and Macron savaged over ‘inexcusable’ vaccine blunder

The European Union has been torn apart over its latest massive Covid blunder, with Emmanuel Macron accused of pursuing an “authoritarian and liberticidal vaccination strategy”.

The European Union and French President Emmanuel Macron have been savaged for not securing early pre-orders of the Valneva vaccine after talks collapsed earlier this year on the grounds “the French company had not fulfilled the conditions” for marketing in Europe.

Instead, the UK Government has reportedly secured a total of 190 million Valneva doses, with the first 60 million of the 100 million doses set to continue into the first quarter of next year. The remainder are scheduled to be made available in 2022.

British officials also have the option to buy an additional 90 million doses that would be delivered between 2023 and 2025, sending the total value of the order surging to £1.2billion. The manufacturing process will take place in Livingston, Scotland.

7.45am update: Frost to confront EU with blistering Brexit demand as he opens door to ditching hated deal

Lord Frost will warn the EU this week that the Northern Ireland Protocol (NIP) is “not sustainable” and major changes are needed if it is to continue.

The cabinet office minister responsible for talks with the EU is set to open negotiations on the future of NIP later this week.

It comes as senior Conservative MPs have been privately pressing Lord Frost to ditch the agreement altogether.

However, Downing Street has insisted that Lord Frost is not planning on scrapping the protocol but focused on finding a way forward which works for both sides.

7.39am update: EU-GB trade row has ‘breathed new life’ into Northern Ireland paramilitary violence

Brexit trade disputes between the EU and UK have “breathed new life” into Northern Ireland’s loyalist paramilitaries, a security expert has warned.

Dr Aaron Edward, a researcher focused on Loyalist terrorism, has warned that controversy over the Northern Ireland Protocol has sparked renewed activity from paramilitary groups.

The author of UVF: Behind the Mask has stressed that new paramilitary structures have developed in the wake of large-scale unrest within Loyalist communities around the Brexit Protocol. Northern Ireland witnessed the worst rioting seen in decades earlier this year as Loyalist street gangs targeted police in protests over new customs checks in the Irish sea.

Dr Edwards told Express.co.uk: “The fact is the Northern Ireland protocol, Brexit, has breathed new life into these old antiquated paramilitary organisations.

“These rusting structures that we saw for many years have now come back in.”

7.29am update: No excuses now, Lord Frost told

Boris Johnson and Lord David Frost now have no excuses for not triggering Article 16 and suspending the Northern Ireland Protocol, Brexiteer Baroness Hoey has said.

Baroness Hoey – formerly Labour MP Kate Hoey – was speaking after Brexit Minister Lord Frost addressed the British-Irish Association yesterday – and said Britain would hold off of taking action, for now at least.

Afterwards she tweeted: “UK government say no hard border between NI and the ROI yet accept a hard border between NI and GB.

“@DavidGHFrost told Parliament criteria for Article 16 to be invoked had been met so NO EXCUSE for not invoking it now Is the EU more important than NI and the Union?”