The European Union is expected to ask for more time to ratify the Brexit trade deal, the UK’s chief Brexit negotiator has said as he laid the blame for continuing UK-EU tensions at the door of Brussels. David Frost claimed that a resolution to now strained relations required a “different spirit” from the EU, in comments made less than 48 hours before a crunch meeting between Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove and a senior European commission figure. Appearing with Gove before the Lords European Union committee on Tuesday, Frost blamed tensions on the bloc struggling to get used to a “genuinely independent actor in its neighbourhood”. He also told the committee that the UK had been told informally that day that the EU would be seeking an extension to the ratification of the trade deal between both sides. “We have heard informally from the commission today that we are likely to get a formal request to extend the two-month period that is in the treaty for ratification on the EU side,” Frost said. “We wait to see what that request constitutes and how long they wish to extend the process for. Obviously, it is a little disappointing given that we did discuss this only a month ago.” As well as news of the expected delay, Frost listed a series of “niggling border issues”, such as Brussels’ decision to place barriers on live UK shellfish exports. “I think it’s been more than bumpy to be honest in the last six weeks,” he said. Gove, who is due to hold talks in London on Thursday with the European commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič to try to resolve ongoing issues around the Northern Ireland protocol row, compared the recent difficulties with the EU to a plane taking off. “We all know that when an aeroplane takes off, that’s the point when you sometimes get that increased level of turbulence,” said the minister, who is in charge of implementing the Brexit deal. “But then eventually you reach a cruising altitude and the crew tell you to take your seatbelts off, and enjoy a gin and tonic and some peanuts. We’re not at the gin and tonic and peanuts stage yet but I’m confident we will be.” Both Gove and Frost were forced to deny that the UK was engaged in a tit for tat struggle with the EU over the recognition of diplomatic representatives after a near-year-long row about the UK’s refusal to grant full diplomatic status of the EU mission to the UK. Frost accused the EU of placing restrictions on the operation of the UK’s ambassador in Brussels and his team. A vivid example of the ongoing problems surrounding the Northern Ireland protocol and its impact on movement of goods was put to Gove by Lord Faulkner, who said he had received a letter from a heritage railway in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland. The railway was due to receive something as a gift from a counterpart in Devon and had approached several delivery firms. Of those who replied, two had said they were not accepting any deliveries between Britain and Northern Ireland any more while another provided a list of requirements. There was no immediate reaction from the European Union to Frost’s comments about the request for a delay to ratifying the trade deal. However, it emerged separately on Tuesday that Ireland and the EU Commission are meanwhile exploring ways to create an internal EU alert mechanism to protect the Northern Ireland protocol and avert repeats of the article 16 fiasco two weeks ago. Irish and commission officials were to meet on Tuesday to discuss mechanisms that will flag implications for Northern Ireland, intended or otherwise, in any future EU legislation, RTE reported. The goal is to avoid any repeat of the blunder on 29 January when the commission triggered Article 16 of the protocol to try to safeguard Covid-19 vaccine supplies, apparently oblivious to the political uproar this would cause in Dublin, Belfast and London. The commission swiftly backtracked. EU legislation is to be checked early for any implications for the movement of goods between Britain and Northern Ireland, with any concerns channelled to Mairead McGuinness, Ireland’s EU commissioner, according to RTE. The Irish government and EU commission made no immediate comment.