Truss told: Follow Thatcher over NI

FOREIGN Secretary Liz Truss is being urged to follow the example of Margaret Thatcher as she prepares for the latest round of Brexit negotiations to prevent a crisis in Northern Ireland.

- ​​​​​​​David Williamson

Ms Truss is expected to travel to Brussels this week to try to thrash out a deal on problems with the protocol, which she fears are a threat to peace in the province.

She wants to get a deal done before the Stormont elections in May – in which Sinn Fein is expected to be the biggest party – and is urging the EU to show greater “pragmatism”.

Brexiteers are pushing Ms Truss to demand sweeping changes to the protocol and not to settle for changes to customs checks arrangements.