No. Ireland Folk Back Post-Brexit Trade Rules, Nix Boris Johnson

An increasing majority of Northern Irish people support the region's post-Brexit trade restrictions, which the British government is actively working to eliminate in vast swaths, according to a poll released on Wednesday.

Photo Insert: Only 4% of people trust Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government, while 84% distrust it. Northern Irish voters are significantly more likely to trust (47%) than distrust (43%) the European Commission.

The Northern Ireland protocol essentially kept the British-run territory in the EU's single market for goods when the rest of the United Kingdom left last year, mandating inspections on some commodities arriving from Britain, Padraic Halpin reported for Reuters.

The proportion of Britons who believe the protocol is the best way to manage the consequences of Britain's exit from the EU has risen to 55% from 50% in February, according to a regular poll done for Queen's University Belfast.

It peaked at 53% in October of last year and was at 46% when voters were questioned for the first time in April 2021.

Britain has promised to override portions of the custom-tailored deal it reached with the EU if it cannot persuade Brussels to remove the checks, and legislation allowing it to do so passed the first of many parliamentary tests on Monday.

According to Wednesday's poll, the majority of people oppose unilateral action by London, and 74% believe that a UK-EU negotiated compromise on reducing some trade barriers is better. The survey also revealed that the British government is by far the most distrusted of the ten groups polled on their ability to manage Northern Ireland's interests.

Only 4% of people trust Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government, while 84% distrust it. Northern Irish voters are significantly more likely to trust (47%) than distrust (43%) the European Commission.

"Many voters in Northern Ireland clearly continue to have genuine concerns about what the full operation of the Protocol would mean," said Professor David Phinnemore, one of the project researchers, pointing to the 55% who have concerns about the protocol as it currently stands being implemented in full.

"Yet, this latest poll also shows support for the protocol edging upwards and almost two-thirds of respondents seeing economic opportunities in it."

The polling was conducted from June 3-6 from a weighted sample of 1,497 respondents.

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