Boris Johnson says plan to break Brexit treaty is ‘not a big deal’

The prime minister was warned by Dublin his move would ‘deeply damage’ relations

The prime minister, Boris Johnson (PA)

Boris Johnson has insisted a plan to break parts of the Northern Ireland elements of the Brexit deal is "not a big deal".

The prime minister was warned by Dublin this morning that the move would "deeply damage" relations between Britain and Europe if it went ahead.

But the prime minister insisted that the legislation amounted to "a relatively trivial set of adjustments" to deal with problems caused by the agreement he negotiated.