UK's Johnson says would use Article 16 appropriately, if needed

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds a news conference on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at 10 Downing Street, in London, Britain November 15, 2021. Leon Neal/Pool via REUTERS

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would rather find a negotiated settlement to post-Brexit trade problems in Northern Ireland but if the government does escalate its dispute with Brussels it will do so in an appropriate way.

Relations between Brussels and London have soured in recent weeks after Britain, unhappy with the deal it signed up to in 2020, threatened to trigger an emergency clause known as Article 16, potentially leading to a trade war.