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The warning to the Prime Minister comes on the back of a fiery 48 hours in the high stakes row, with the EU warning him their “patience is wearing very, very thin”. Both sides are locked in a dispute over how to address problems arising from the protocol, a key part of the Withdrawal Agreement designed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland.
Yesterday the bloc threatened to “suspend” part of the post-Brexit trade agreement with the UK unless Britain ends its refusal to implement the protocol.
European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic said Brussels is ready to slap tariffs and quotas on UK exports and even to “suspend cooperation in certain sectors”, pointing to deals on trade and services.
Amid the threats, Express.co.uk conducted an exclusive poll asking readers if Mr Johnson should rip up his Brexit deal following an intense two days with the EU.
Ninety-seven percent (12,417) said yes while only 3 percent (389) said no.
Just 39 people did not know how to vote.
In comments, many respondents said it was high time the Prime Minister woke up to the reality that dealing with the EU was never going to be smooth sailing.
One person said the bloc is simply unwilling to change their view and therefore not a reasonable partner to have a deal with.
The person said: “The EU have made any kind of dialogue untenable.
READ MORE: ‘Excessively burdensome!’ Boris Johnson bemoans EU’s approach to trade
One man said the Brexit deal was evidence that the British Government failed to grasp the “European psyche”.
He argued if ministers had a clear understanding of what it would be like to enter into a post-Brexit agreement with Brussels, they would have backed away from the negotiating table.
He said: “If the UK negotiators had understood the Europe psyche it should have been ‘NO DEAL’ in the first place.
“To have the civil service and Theresa May running the negotiations for the first two years was adding insult to injury.”
And another man said a no-deal Brexit would have caused less hassle for the UK when it came to dealing with the EU.
He said: “Brexiteers didn’t vote for a deal because we knew full well any reasonable deal with the EU would be a trap.”
Another reader said the Government should have torn up the Withdrawal Agreement long ago because Brussels has not negotiated in good faith.
He wrote: “Should have done it already. At no point has the EU negotiated in good faith.”
Under the protocol, goods going from Great Britain across the Irish Sea to Northern Ireland must undergo checks at the border.
The trade barrier has angered many Unionists who argue that it effectively cuts the Six Counties off from the rest of the UK.
Mr Johnson has suggested the EU is taking an “excessively burdensome” approach to post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland.
The Prime Minister insisted he was not trying to back out of the agreement but he said the UK’s “internal market” had to be respected and “we just need to make it work”.
The poll ran from 1pm on June 9 to 2pm on June 10. A total of 12,845 readers taking part.
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