EU intervention over NI protocol 'wrong' - Foster

First Minister Arlene Foster has repeated her view that the EU's intervention over the Northern Ireland Protocol was wrong.

On Friday night, the EU was forced into an embarrassing U-turn after invoking Article 16 of the protocol in a bid to control the flow of vaccines from the bloc.

The decision was swiftly reversed following condemnation from London, Dublin and Belfast- and over the weekend, the DUP said the EU had let its “mask slip”.

"Reality has bitten," the DUP leader told the Assembly on Monday morning. "Unionists across the length and breadth of Northern Ireland are in anguish.

"It should matter that everyone in Northern Ireland is being denied supply of trade and if they really care about all of the people of Northern Ireland, they will act."

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin MLA John O'Dowd accused unionists of "sabre-rattling" and called for calm heads.

UUP leader Steve Aiken said politicians in Northern Ireland should be "at the table" influencing decision-makers.

He reiterated his demands for invocation of Article 16 by the UK to ease the effects of the Northern Ireland Protocol on east/west trade.

"Our economy, our society and our culture, and virtually every aspect of Northern Ireland's life, is being impacted," Mr Aiken said.

"We as a unionist party have said for a considerable time that Article 16 should be there and should be used."

SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood has urged the parties to "show leadership and dial down the rhetoric" over the Northern Ireland protocol.

In a statement, Mr Eastwood made a direct appeal to all political leaders to "work together to make the protocol work".

He said: “It is important in the coming days that unionist politicians show leadership and that all of us work together to make sure the Northern Ireland protocol operates effectively. 

"The events of Friday show the grave sensitivity around these issues and it is now vital that political leaders in Ireland, Britain and the EU focus on the way forward."

Meanwhile, the Irish foreign affairs minister has said the EU's bid to override part of the NI protocol on Brexit was "a mistake that shouldn't have happened".

Simon Coveney said the protocol should not have been touched without consulting the British and Irish governments.

"I think it was a mistake that everybody recognises should not have happened," he told RTÉ.

"I mean in simple terms, you do not touch the protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland without full consultation with the people who are most impacted by it.

"The Irish government, the British government and, perhaps most importantly, political leaders in Northern Ireland.

"That's what happened on Friday, which should not have happened. And I think lessons have been learned as a result of that, and it certainly won't happen again."