The Democratic Unionist party has set 21 February as a new deadline for foreign secretary Liz Truss to find a solution to the dispute over Northern Ireland's Brexit protocol.
In her first visit to Northern Ireland, Truss inherited the negotiations from Lord Frost at Christmas, met DUP s Paul Givan and Sinn F in Michelle O Neill, first minister and deputy first minister respectively.
Givan said that the government must take unilateral action if an agreed position can't be reached with the EU by the fourth week of February.
Sinn F said that any attempt to trigger article 16 of the protocol would cause more uncertainty in Northern Ireland.
Truss wants to strike a deal on the protocol that works for everyone in the region. It is important that we secure the support of all communities in Northern Ireland, including the unionist community. Sources close to the foreign secretary said she was in listening mode and told party leaders of her commitment to securing peace and stability, protect sovereignty of decision-making and ensure free flow of GB-NI goods. She added that she was looking for durable, practical solutions - she believed a deal could be done by the end of February before the election for the May Stormont elections.
Givan said there had to be progress made imminently in the negotiations after the meeting. He said that Liz Truss is making progress with the European Union and that is a very significant date in terms of what progress will have been made or not made. The joint working committee on the withdrawal agreement will hold a meeting on that date.
He said that he pressed the foreign secretary about the need to take action in the absence of progress and an agreed outcome with the European Union. The foreign secretary indicated that the UK government does stand ready to take action, she mentioned the use of article 16 but she prefers to take an agreed position with the European Union. He stated that the protocol is causing instability to these institutions, it is damaging our economy and it is having a serious impact on Northern Ireland and has a real impact on that.
We need to see that progress, we need to see that imminently, and we need to see action taken by the UK government if there isn't an agreed outcome. The meeting came a day after the DUP leader, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, said he could not guarantee Givan would still be in position next week. It came just hours after the SDLP criticised the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for playing politics with the Northern Ireland protocol in an official video on the negotiations.
The FCDO said in the video: "The protocol for Northern Ireland was designed to protect the peace process and respect all communities in Northern Ireland. It is doing the opposite. Claire Hanna, the Social Democratic and Labour Party MP, said it was a Trumpian strategy, while her colleague Nichola Mallon, deputy party leader, said it was reckless.