Speaking on Thursday, the spokesman for Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney announced his government’s disapproval of London’s alleged proposal. He said Dublin had been in touch with Westminster about their commitments to the Stormont House Agreement and “strongly advised against any unilateral action on such sensitive issues.”

“We reiterated that only through a collective approach can we deal with these issues comprehensively and fairly in a way that responds to the needs of victims, survivors and society as a whole. Victims and their families are the only priority,” the spokesman was quoted as saying by the Press Association.

On Wednesday evening, the Daily Telegraph reported that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government is preparing to bring in new legislation next week which would grant Northern Ireland army veterans immunity from prosecution.

Around 3,600 people died during the confrontations and it remains a sensitive issue 23 years after the Good Friday Agreement was struck. Unsolved crimes from Northern Ireland’s ‘Troubles’ remain a sensitive issue. One part of the Stormont House Agreement, signed by the UK and Irish governments and main Northern Ireland parties in 2014, proposes a new independent investigation unit to re-examine all unsolved deaths during the three decades of sectarian conflict between Irish nationalist militants, pro-British “loyalist” paramilitaries and the UK armed forces.

In recent months, pro-British groups have taken to the streets, protesting against the Brexit deal which sees them cut off from the rest of the UK and effectively still part of the EU’s single market.

“What is causing all of this tension is Brexit, not the [Northern Ireland] Protocol, the Protocol is an attempt to try to reduce tension and solve problems linked to Brexit,” Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney told BBC radio on Wednesday.

“The Protocol essentially is an Irish and British and EU negotiated solution, an agreed solution, part of the Brexit agreement, to try to limit the disruptive impact of Brexit on Ireland and Northern Ireland,” he added.

Coveney’s comments come amid reports of increasing tensions in Northern Ireland, including a number of threats and “menacing” acts made to intimidate officials conducting physical checks on goods coming from Great Britain. Port staff was withdrawn from their positions as a precaution.

On Tuesday, British senior cabinet minister Michael Gove blamed the EU’s short-lived and unilateral decision last Friday to place restrictions on the movement of goods on the island of Ireland in a bid to control vaccine exports to the UK. The plan was quickly ditched following condemnation from London, Belfast, and Dublin.

“Peace, progress and strong community relations in Northern Ireland have been hard-won and in recent days we have seen an increase in community tension and as was reported last night port staff in Belfast and Larne have been kept away from work following concerns for their safety,” Gove said, urging the EU to make amends.

He added that the European Commission’s move had eroded trust between all parties and had “provoked anger.”

Northern Ireland’s police force said it did not believe loyalist paramilitaries were involved in threats on port staff but were following the actions of a number of individuals and small groups.