EU sources said the UK was seeking “formal consultations” – the first step in the trade and cooperation agreement’s dispute resolution mechanism. The move by Liz Truss, the foreign secretary and Tory leadership front-runner, first reported by the Telegraph, comes after the two sides reached an impasse over the UK’s participation in the Horizon science programme, the Euroatom nuclear treaty and the space services. British scientists and academic researchers ended 115 grants from the Horizon program in July because of the ongoing Brexit dispute over the Northern Ireland protocol. Grants had been approved for British applicants after then-Brexit Secretary David Frost successfully negotiated linked membership of the £80bn Horizon Europe programme, but most have now been cancelled. The United Kingdom was to pay a contribution of 15 billion pounds over seven years to participate in the program. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Asked about the move, a European Commission spokesman said: “The Commission takes note of the UK’s request for consultation and will follow it up in accordance with the applicable rules as set out in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.” At a press conference on Tuesday, a Commission spokesman said: “We continue to recognize mutual benefit and cooperation in science, research and innovation, nuclear research and space. However, it is important to remember the political context. “There are serious difficulties in implementing the Withdrawal Agreement and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The TCA provides neither a specific obligation for the EU to link the UK to Union programs at this time, nor a precise deadline for doing so. We look forward to an immediate solution.” The first step in the dispute process is to initiate partnership board talks. If that fails, then it could go to an arbitral tribunal, which could impose remedies for non-compliance if either side is found to have breached the agreement. At the time the Horizon grants were cancelled, a spokesman for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said the government had “guaranteed funding for eligible, successful applicants to Horizon Europe who are expected to sign grant agreements by December 2022 and who have not can sign grant agreements with the EU”.
