Boris vows to 'clear the bottlenecks' as MP exasperated by EU thwarting global Britain

Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke has struck out at European Union bureaucratic "red-tape" which she blames for traffic jams leading to Dover port. Ms Elphicke stood up during Prime Minister Questions on Wednesday afternoon to call on the British Government to ditch Brussels' unnecessary red tape on UK trade. 

Mr Elphicke told MPs: "Dover is once again beset by miles of traffic jams along the motorways, affecting residents and local businesses alike, not because of Brexit.

"But because of Brussels bureaucracy and red tape."

She asked Mr Johnson: "Will the Prime Minister meet with me to discuss how we can invest in our local roads in the M2 and M20 and the Dover tap to unclog that road once and for all.

"And also to get rid of the unnecessary red tape for a trading global Britain."

The Prime Minister stated Ms Elphicke was "absolutely right in what she says".

Mr Johnson added: "As the economy rebounds, we're seeing all sorts of pressures and we do need to make sure that we clear bottlenecks everywhere in our system and that's what we'll do."

It comes as Prime Minister repeated a warning to Brussels, saying London would take action to suspend post-Brexit customs checks on some goods moving to Northern Ireland if the EU did not show "common sense".

"We must fix it (the problems with the so-called Northern Ireland protocol) and with goodwill and common sense I believe we can fix it," Mr Johnson told parliament.

"But if our friends don't show the requisite common sense then, of course, we will trigger Article 16," he added.

During PMQs, DUP MP Ian Paisley told the Prime Minister the Northern Ireland Protocol has "zero support from Unionists".

He asked: "Does the Prime Minister accept that he has now responsibility to bring forward a solution that unites the people of Northern Ireland and bring forward a solution that saves the union that has been undermined by it?"

Mr Johnson replied: "I will, I agree with him completely that there must be a solution that commands cross-community support and, at the moment, there is no doubt that the balance of the Good Friday Agreement is being upset by the way the protocol is being operated.

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"And we need to fix it and that's what we're going to do, and if our friends weren't to agree then, of course, we will, as I said earlier on, of course, we will implement Article 16."

Disagreements over Brexit trade rules in Northern Ireland have boiled over with Stormont's Agriculture Minister having ordered a halt to agri-food checks at Northern Irish ports.

DUP minister Edwin Poots said last Wednesday evening that he had ordered officials to end the checks by midnight.

Ireland's Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney branded the decision to halt Northern Ireland Protocol checks as a "breach of international law".