The Democratic Unionist Party says it will pull out of Stormont’s power-sharing government, triggering a snap election “within weeks”, if the Northern Ireland Protocol remains.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP has also announced that his party will boycott North-South ministerial meetings until their concerns over the East-West sea border are addressed.

In a speech to elected members in Belfast, Sir Jeffrey warned: “I say not as a threat but as a matter of political reality that our political institutions will not survive a failure to resolve the problems the Protocol has created.

“Neither will they survive an indefinite ‘stand still’ period; urgent action is needed.”

In a further hardening of the DUP position, the party leader said his ministers would refuse to implement further checks on goods crossing from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

He added: “Let me be clear: if the choice is ultimately between remaining in office or implementing the Protocol in its present form, then the only option for any Unionist Minister would be to cease to hold such office.”

His comments came as European Vice President Maros Sefcovic arrived in Northern Ireland to meet business and political leaders ahead of crunch talks with the UK’s Brexit Minister Lord Frost.

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