This Sky News report on Brexit and the NI protocol ends on a very apt image

It might feel like ancient history now but Brexit is still causing a lot of problems, most notably in Northern Ireland.

The UK government are now claiming that that post-Brexit trading agreement that was part of the withdrawal deal that was agreed in 2019 is unsustainable. Lord Frost has said that “we cannot go on as we are” and that the EU needs to look at the UK’s proposals with “fresh eyes.”

Inevitably, the EU has rejected these demands in regard to the protocol, with officials now fearing that this dispute could lead to a trade war between the two parties.

Reporting on this now highly important and sensitive issue, a rather apt image from a farm was used to close out a report from Sky News’ senior Ireland correspondent David Blevins.

Blevins had earlier hinted that the ‘Beware of the bull’ sign would be featured in his report.

Blevins’ story has now been viewed more than 70,000 times and many thought the choice closing image was inspired (or should we say ‘bovine’...)

In regards to the dispute, business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told the EU on Tuesday: “A deal is a deal but it wasn’t something that was going to last forever. It was something that was flexible and we want to make it work more smoothly.”

At the moment the government looks to be reluctant to enact Article 16 which is only supposed to be used when the protocol is causing “economic, societal or environmental difficulties.”

Kwarteng added: “Article 16 … it is something that we could do, to suspend it, we’ve chosen not to do that, that’s not our opening position and we want to be able to negotiate and have a conversation with the EU about how best to go forward.”

The protocol was put in place to ensure there would be no hard border with Ireland, but it has instead effectively placed a trade barrier in the Irish Sea.