European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic has warned Britain's next prime minister that triggering article 16 of the Northern Ireland protocol could give European leaders the impression that London was not interested in co-operating with the European Union. Speaking in Oxford at the annual meeting of the British Irish Association, Mr Sefcovic also highlighted the link between the withdrawal agreement of which the protocol is part and the trade agreement between Britain and the EU.

"Our relationship is now founded on two agreements: the withdrawal agreement and the Trade and Co-operation Agreement, which we negotiated together, agreed and ratified. Our partnership, and the trust underpinning it, requires - and depends on - these legally-binding commitments being respected. There are no two ways about this."