Lord Frost warned Liz Truss not to give in to EU demands in a Brexit spat over Northern Ireland. The former minister, who was also in charge of negotiations with Brussels, urged the prime minister not to shift over the role of the European Court of Justice in the Northern Ireland Protocol.
In recent days, claims have been made that Britain is ready to give the court a say in overseeing implementation of the deal in return for a easing of customs controls.
Currently, all goods crossing the Irish Sea into the county are subject to red tape.
Meanwhile, the ECJ of the EU is the ultimate arbitrator of any disputes between the two partners.
Warn Ms Truss not to give in, Lord Frost said the ECJ “cannot have jurisdiction or arbitration role in the future settlements”.
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He added: “I can’t see how they would be stable as long as it stayed that way.
“It would be better if that was recognized sooner rather than later.”
Officials are engaged in talks over the protocol in an effort to find a compromise by October 28.
Negotiations have been underway for the past 12 months but have gained momentum in recent weeks with just days left to reach an agreement without the need for new elections to Northern Ireland’s devolved parliament.
The Northern Ireland Assembly is not currently sitting after the DUP said it would not take its place in an executive power-sharing session until its concerns about the protocol were allayed.
A breakthrough in the Brexit talks is needed by October 28, so that the DUP can take its place in the decentralized government before new elections are legally required.
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Yesterday, No10 dismissed reports of a UK backlash to the Court of Justice to get a deal over the line.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We continue to believe that it is inappropriate for an EU court to remain the highest arbitrator in Northern Ireland.
“You know that we are going to have talks at an official level and we obviously want to resolve this through negotiations.
“There will be meetings with officials this week and the coming weeks.”
Hopes for a deal grew last week when Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar admitted the protocol was “too strict”.
“The protocol is not fully implemented and yet it still works.
“I think this shows that there is room for more flexibility, for changes that will hopefully make it acceptable to all parties,” he said.
“I would admit that the protocol, as it was originally designed, was perhaps a little too strict.”