LONDON (Reuters – The European Union has reaffirmed its refusal to give a mandate to renegotiate post Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland, which were agreed in the Brexit deal.

Britain has drafted a law to effectively repeal parts of the Brexit agreement and said the refusal by the bloc to accept its mandate is very disappointing.

Speaking at an event in Westminster, the EU ambassador, João Vale de Almeida, said that the EU would stick to its existing mandate for the talks with Britain.

“We were told that we should get a new mandate, I can you very clearly what the member states are telling us is very simple, you don’t need a mandate, and even if you ask for one you will not get one,” Almeida said.

They have tried for months to resolve a deadlock in Northern Ireland. The protocol governs the trade rules of the British-run British province. London and Belfast had agreed prior to leaving the EU. However, they now claim that these rules are not workable.

Britain is threatening to endanger the protocol since months. This raises the threat of a trade conflict with Europe in a time of high inflation, and causes concern throughout Europe.

Almeida expressed concern about the low trust level between the sides. Almeida stated that one problem was Britain’s inability to present the EU two options. Either it will renegotiate or take unilateral action against the protocol.

He said that he was concerned by low trust levels between the UK and EU, as well as between leaders. We must increase trust in order to foster greater cooperation.