UK, EU likely to reach deal on Northern Ireland protocol by Christmas: official - China.org.cn

British Brexit Minister David Frost said Wednesday that Britain and the European Union (EU) are likely to reach a deal by Christmas on changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol to smooth post-Brexit trade.

"I think it can be done, whether it will be done is a different question," Frost told the BBC, after Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said the issues with the protocol could be resolved "before Christmas".

"I would like to progress this as fast as we possibly can, I'm glad there's ambition on the EU side from what Simon says," Frost was quoted by the BBC as saying.

The question of how goods move from Great Britain into Northern Ireland is obviously at the heart of the talks and there is no reason why goods going to stay in Northern Ireland need to go through processes, Frost said.