Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said he would introduce legislation to delay the date he needs to call an election by six weeks, with a further six-week delay if necessary. He was legally required to have called an election on October 28, but under the new law he can delay the start date to January 19, meaning the latest an election could be held is April 13. It comes as the EU finally has access from HMRC to live data recording the exact destinations of cargo entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain, data that could justify eliminating almost all controversial controls on goods crossing the Irish Sea. Heaton-Harris told the Commons in a statement that she would table emergency legislation to facilitate Brexit talks for up to three months. He also said he would consider reducing the pay “appropriately” of members of the legislative assembly. “I will introduce legislation to provide a short, simple extension of the period for appointing executives – extending the current period by six weeks to December 8, with the possibility of a further six-week extension to January 19 if necessary. “This aims to create the time and space needed for talks between the UK Government and the EU Commission to develop and for the Northern Ireland parties to work together to restore devolved institutions as soon as possible.” He raised concerns about a £660 million “black hole” in public finances in Northern Ireland and health service waiting lists with 187,000 people waiting more than a year for outpatient services. Irish Foreign Secretary Simon Coveney welcomed the delay and called on the UK to use the time to “engage positively and with real urgency” knowing the EU had “listened carefully” to trade unionists’ concerns about the protocol. Talks between Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič have been ongoing since September, but sources say they are not yet at the “tunnel” stage, where creative solutions to a settlement can be put forward. Access to HMRC data could provide an important breakthrough on the issue of physical controls on agri-food and other goods, but not on the issue of the role of the European court. It is understood that Brussels, which has been seeking access since Brexit happened, had previously been offered data but with a 40-minute time delay, enough time for goods to cross the border into the Republic of Ireland and the single market. Earlier this week, Šefčovič told a group of 70 cross-party MPs and peers at a special Brexit conference in Westminster that “both of our respective positions are not worlds apart”. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. He said the UK was seeking “green lanes” without screening for goods remaining in Northern Ireland and the EU had offered “express lanes”. “It comes down to [whether there are] no checks or minimal checks,” he said, adding that he believed checks could be reduced to one or two trucks a day. Sefcovic was speaking at the second meeting of the EU-UK Partnership Parliamentary Assembly, an institute set up as part of the Brexit trade deal. Both sides are also understood to be moving forward on biosecurity protections with discussions centering on a possible emergency braking mechanism, which would allow a specific good, such as fruit or poultry, to be temporarily suspended in the event of a disease outbreak. Heaton-Harris also faced questions about strengthening relations with the Republic of Ireland, which had been undermined by the protocol dispute. Earlier in the Commons, the government faced calls from DUP MP Sammy Wilson to scrap the protocol altogether because of the second major issue for trade unionists, the requirement to uphold EU trade law and the role of the European Court of Justice in the event of a dispute. The Northern Ireland minister said he believed there was an outcome from the negotiations that would work for all sides. Heaton-Harris later sought to reassure other DUP MPs, saying: “There are key positions that I fully understand have been put forward by the trade union community and online in reporting issues with the protocol and to correct them.”
