| What's happening? Tough talk on Northern Ireland, and a Brexit-exacerbated trucker shortage adds to "pingdemic" woes. The U.K. is on a fresh collision course with the European Union after Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government warned it will suspend parts of the Brexit deal if the bloc doesn't budge on British demands to renegotiate the controversial Northern Ireland protocol. After months of disruption to trade between Britain and the region, David Frost, the U.K.'s EU affairs minister, set out a plan to substantially rewrite the protocol, which draws a trade border down the Irish Sea to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. Johnson spoke to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday, urging the bloc "to look at those proposals seriously, Downing Street said. Von der Leyen said the EU will be "creative and flexible" but ruled out renegotiation. Companies such as Marks & Spencer have said the way checks are being enforced — including trucks being refused entry for having the wrong ink on paperwork — is delaying goods getting to Belfast, which will ultimately lead to higher prices and less choice for consumers. Still, the EU has long insisted that the protocol must be implemented as originally designed, to prevent Northern Ireland being used as a backdoor for smuggling into the bloc. Business groups in the province said the U.K.'s position "creates confusion and uncertainty." Frost said the conditions exist to justify triggering Article 16 of the Protocol — the section which allows some of its rules to be suspended — but did say that now is not the time to do that.  On another battlefront, U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab lashed out at the EU's plan for a post-Brexit deal for Gibraltar, accusing the bloc of trying to undermine the U.K.'s "sovereignty" over the territory, which has been British for three centuries. Gibraltar is economically dependent on the untrammeled flow of frontier workers and other visitors from Spain — the type of free movement Brexit was meant to limit. Read this handy Quicktake explainer on why Gibraltar remains an issue in U.K.-EU talks. Meanwhile, French police are playing whack-a-mole with people smugglers, who are bringing migrants across the English Channel via constantly changing routes. Boris Johnson's government agreed to pay France more than £54 million ($74 million) so it can double the number of enforcement officers on beaches. Still, lawmakers from his party accused U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel of "getting fobbed off by the French" as she revealed the number of migrants stopped by French authorities has almost tripled since last year to 7,500. The recent warm and sunny weather hasn't helped. Finally, Brexit could prove to be an opportunity for Britain's financial sector, according to Goldman Sachs's international head. In an interview with the BBC, Richard Gnodde said that if the U.K. uses its new status outside the bloc to innovate, "sometimes being a smaller fish is an advantage." He's the latest executive to signal the potential opportunities afforded by Brexit after years of limbo that has seen some jobs and assets — including at Goldman — move over to the EU. — Lizzy Burden We aim to keep you up to date on how the U.K. navigates the world after Brexit. Got tips or feedback? Email us at beyondbrexit@bloomberg.net or eburden6@bloomberg.net  The pound extended a losing streak versus the euro to five days last week, its longest run since September, amid dovish signals from the Bank of England and a global risk-off mood. Sterling fell after BOE policy maker Jonathan Haskel indicated Monday that he remains opposed to paring back stimulus, while his colleague Catherine Mann warned against tightening policy prematurely. If equities continue to underperform, Societe Generale strategist Kenneth Broux sees the pound weakening to levels last seen in May. You can follow us @Brexit on Twitter, and listen to Bloomberg Westminster every weekday. Share Beyond Brexit: Colleagues, friends and family can sign up here. For full EU coverage, try the Brussels Edition. You can find all of our newsletters here, but here are some we think you'd particularly enjoy: Bloomberg is also tracking the progress of coronavirus vaccines and mapping the pandemic. Sign up here for our Coronavirus Daily newsletter and here for our podcast. Subscribe to Bloomberg.com for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and expert analysis. | 
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