UK to respond to EU legal action over Northern Ireland by mid-May

London readying response to challenge from Brussels over alleged breach of the UK-EU Brexit divorce deal.

The United Kingdom has agreed with the European Union that it will respond to the bloc’s legal action over how it introduced new trading rules for Northern Ireland by mid-May, a spokeswoman for the government said on Wednesday. The EU launched legal action against the former member UK in March for unilaterally changing trading arrangements for Northern Ireland that Brussels says are in breach of the Brexit divorce deal agreed with London last year. The UK denies that the move undermines the part of the Brexit deal that governs trade to the province, saying it extended the grace period for checks on goods moving to Northern Ireland to ease their passage.