UK to extend Northern Ireland's Brexit grace periods

FILE PHOTO: Ireland's Prime Minister Taoiseach Leo Varadkar speaks during a news conference on the ongoing situation with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at Government Buildings in Dublin, Ireland March 24, 2020. Steve Humphreys/Pool via REUTERS

LONDON/DUBLIN (Reuters) - Britain plans to further extend post-Brexit grace periods on some goods imports to Northern Ireland, Brexit minister David Frost said on Monday, in a move designed to give London and Brussels more time for talks about trade with the province.

The fate of British-ruled Northern Ireland was the most contentious issue in Britain's negotiations over its exit from the European Union, which was completed on Dec. 31, and it has continued to cause friction.