Brexit news - live: Port staff threatened as Northern Ireland border checks halted and EU officials withdraw

The UK government is working with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to "better understand" the situation at Larne and Belfast, Downing Street said.

Inspections at Larne and Belfast ports were suspended yesterday after sinister graffiti and reports of intelligence-gathering on inspectors.

"We will continue to work with PSNI. The safety of staff is our absolute priority," the prime minister's official spokesman said.

"Full documentation checks continue to take place and checks on live animals continue to take place."

Michael Gove cast doubt on the sincerity of the "professions of care and concern" displayed by some EU figures toward Northern Ireland and criticised their lack of understanding.

Conservative former Northern Ireland secretary Julian Smith had said there is a "track record of a lack of understanding" by the EU of the sensitivities in Northern Ireland before urging Mr Gove to find out what the EU needs in return from the UK to "resolve these issues long-term".

Mr Gove replied in the Commons: "For people in Northern Ireland, they will have heard during the whole Brexit process professions of care and concern from EU politicians about Northern Ireland - some of those were sincere, but the way in which the commission has behaved in the course of the last week is of deep concern.

"I absolutely exempt vice-president Maros Sefcovic from this, he completely understands the need to make sure we have a pragmatic resolution to this problem.

"But not every European politician understands the situation in Northern Ireland anything like as well as (Mr Smith), and we do need to make sure we have a resolution that recognises Northern Ireland's integral place in the UK while also ensuring that we have the best possible relationship with all our neighbours."

Mr Gove later said there is "no need at all" for the level of physical inspections being carried out by some on food products linked to Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland Protocol is a "terrible disaster" and issues are "not teething problems," former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said.

He told the Commons: "The reality, though, is that the Protocol is simply not working, these are not teething problems.

"He mentioned Article 16 but Article 16 is very clear. It says it can be invoked under economic, societal or environmental problems leading to, for example, a diversion of trade.

"We've already seen companies that normally ship to Northern Ireland now saying publicly they won't bother any more because it's too difficult.

"We are seeing also diversion where some of the supermarkets and others are talking about depots now in southern Ireland rather than in mainland GB.

"I ask my right honourable friend, therefore, for all the talks about teething problems, in the short-term what would he do to rectify this terrible disaster?"

While answering questions from MPs in the Commons on the Northern Ireland protocol and threats against port staff, the Cabinet Office minister called for the extension of post-Brexit grace periods. 

“We do need to make sure that grace periods are extended, we do need to make sure that supermarkets can continue to supply consumers with goods that they need,” he said in reply to Iain Duncan Smith. 

There are several grace periods covering transport of goods across the Irish sea border, Mr Gove did not specify, though he could be referring to all of them.

"There are a number of very specific issues adn tehy extend from … pet transport to the provision of plants and seeds to gardens in Northern Ireland.

"The daily lives of our fellow citizens need to be protected, we must deal with all of these questions."

Our Deputy Political editor Rob Merrick is following the news as it breaks after Brussels announced EU officials were to be withdrawn from Northern Ireland ports following threats from loyalists :

Naomi Long, leader of Northern Ireland’s Alliance party and Stormont’s justice minister, has condemned what she called a “campaign of intimidation” against MPs from her party.

The constituency offices of Alliance MPs Stephen Farry and Kellie Armstrong were graffitied, the former with the message “RIP [Good Friday Agreement]”.

Earlier, Sinn Fein MLA Linda Dillon condemned the threats and urged those speaking to "watch their tone".

"We need to have cool heads, we need to temper our language, we need to know that the tone that we set in this place is what will happen outside, and for us not to take full responsibility for that is disingenuous," she said.

Brussels officials are being temporarily withdrawn from duties at the Belfast and Larne ports.

European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said: "Obviously the security of our staff in Northern Ireland is as high a preoccupation as that of any other person working in Northern Ireland on the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement.

"We have asked them not to attend their duties today and we will continue to monitor the situation and adapt accordingly."

It comes as senior figures from Brussels, Westminster and Stormont will discuss the situation tomorrow, the European Commission said.

UK Cabinet minister Michael Gove, Northern Ireland's first minister, Arlene Foster, and deputy first minister, Michelle O'Neill, and European Commission vice-president, Maros Sefcovic, will take part in a video conference.

Commission spokesman Eric Mamer told reporters: "We condemn very strongly any threats of violence against port officials or anybody else in Northern Ireland who are simply exercising their duties and implementing the Withdrawal Agreement. That must be absolutely clear. 

"Therefore, in such circumstances, we understand indeed that decisions have been taken by the Northern Irish authorities to temporarily suspend a number of checks that are foreseen for the transfer of goods from Northern Ireland to Great Britain. 

"It is obvious for us that the first and utmost priority is the safety of people."

An English company that has long sold its wax-coated mini barrels of cheese directly to European customers has said it can no longer do so because of Brexit.

Last year The Cheshire Cheese company sold £180,000 worth of artisan truckles -- the traditional name for cheese shaped like a barrel -- to European Union customers, but the company’s managing director, Simon Spurrell, says that is no longer possible.

"That's completely gone. At the moment we've had to just switch that light out," said Mr Spurrell.

London and Brussels agreed a last-minute trade deal last December which averted border tariffs, but many companies, particularly smaller ones, have warned that the deal has thrown up new obstacles to trade that are killing business.

Mr Spurrell can no longer sell cheese gift boxes worth around £25 to the EU through his online shop because each consignment needs to be accompanied by a health certificate signed off by a vet that costs £180 per consignment, regardless of size.

The company has therefore put on hold plans for a £1m new distribution centre in Macclesfield, northern England, and is instead considering setting up its own hub in France, where it can still ship on a wholesale basis.

There were calls for cool heads and language to be tempered in the Northern Ireland Assembly following threats against staff at Belfast and Larne ports.

Alliance MLA Stewart Dickson brought a Matter of the Day and opened by criticising the threats as "unacceptable", and urged "calm, cool, collected thoughts around this issue".

DUP MLA William Irwin condemned the threats and called for those behind the "sinister activity" to "desist immediately".

He revealed he was contacted by police on Saturday and informed of "social media misinformation" and a threat against him.

Sinn Fein MLA Linda Dillon condemned the threats as well as "RIP Good Friday Agreement" graffiti scrawled on the office of Alliance MP Stephen Farry earlier, and urged those speaking to "watch their tone".

"We need to have cool heads, we need to temper our language, we need to know that the tone that we set in this place is what will happen outside, and for us not to take full responsibility for that is disingenuous," she said.

SDLP MLA Patsy McGlone condemned the threats against port staff, describing the behaviour as "despicable", but said all have a duty to calm things down.

UUP MLA Roy Beggs said there should be no place for violence or the threat of violence, and called for clear reflection on the NI Protocol, describing what has been introduced as "not proportionate or reasonable".

"There is growing discontent in the unionist community and I can only see that growing as more and more people recognise that they have difficulty buying seeds, plants, small parcels, not being to get goods to delivered to them," he said.

"So there needs to be adjustment."

All Stormont's powersharing ministers condemned the threats.

A joint Executive statement said: "Regardless of our very different views on the Northern Ireland Protocol, the Executive is united in condemning any threats made against workers and staff going about their duties at Belfast and Larne ports.

"As public servants, these staff should be allowed to do their jobs without fear and it is unacceptable and intolerable that threats have been made.

"The threats should be lifted immediately and staff should be allowed to return to their posts and get back to their work.

"There is no place in society for intimidation and threats against anyone going to their place of work."