In all areas, the UK continues to backtrack.

The European Union argues that we should be subject to rules of the club that we have left.

The precondition is the level playing field.

We can deliver a real Brexit that achieves our objectives.

But if there is not a deal, we still need the Irish protocol or the Northern Irish protocol fully implemented.

I'm going to miss being the pantomime villain. protocol or the Northern Irish protocol fully implemented.

I'm going to miss being the pantomime villain.

Hello and welcome to Brexit Republic, RTE's podcast on Brexit.

I'm Tony Connolly, RTE's Europe editor in Brussels.

I'm Sean Whelan, RTE's correspondent in London. And I'm Colum O'ungown-Rtees

Deputy Foreign Editor in Dublin each week. Brexit Republic assesses all the latest Brexit developments

in Brussels, London and Dublin. I'll see you in court. The EU takes legal action, again, against

the UK over its unilateral move to interpret the Northern Ireland protocol.

We'll explore what the legal action means, how it came about and what difference it might make.

And this might hurt a bit. The EU threatens to curb vaccine exports and escalates yet another simmering row with the UK, which has spilled over into the Brexit debate.

And London starts to tell us what global Britain is all about with a new post-Brexit foreign and defence policy.

And David Frost makes it clear the revolution is only just beginning.

And we'll hear about what Brexit means for Irish companies in the UK and beyond three months in.

But first, Tony, to that legal action we mentioned in the introduction at the top.

Give us the background to it and how the UK found out it had been initiated during the week.

So on March 3rd column, as you recall, the UK announced a series of unilateral measures on the protocol, meaning they would extend until the 1st of October, a grace period that had been due to elapse on the 1st of April, a three-month grace period.

The UK said, actually, we're going to extend that unilaterally until the 1st of October.

...