Having been in the Chamber to hear the statement on the Windsor Framework and attending the subsequent private Q&A with the Prime Minister, I am pleased to see the Framework coming forward. It seems to be a solution to many of the problems remaining from the last negotiation, and I am glad it has received wide support across the Chamber.
I hope the DUP will look on it favourably and that this can be a further steppingstone towards advancing Northern Ireland’s future while improving working relationships with the EU.
In summary, the Windsor Framework will achieve four important things:
- Smooth flowing trade throughout the United Kingdom
- We will do this by removing the border in the Irish Sea - creating a Green Lane as one UK, ensuring things like food items available in Great Britain will also be available in Northern Ireland.
- A clear distinction between goods destined for sale in Northern Ireland and UK (Green Lane) and a Red Lane for goods moving into the EU
- Ensuring the sovereignty of both sides as the UK remains outside the EU Customs Union, plus a dual regulatory framework for shared areas.
- Protection of Northern Ireland’s place in our Union and making sure that Northern Ireland gets the full benefit of being part of the United Kingdom
- This is done by ensuring the same tax rules apply in NI, tackling the ‘reach back’ of EU state aid law, allowing pharmacies to sell the same medicines and letting people travel freely with their pets between GB and NI.
- The Stormont Brake safeguards sovereignty for the people of Northern Ireland, meaning the UK can veto any changed EU laws from applying in NI.
- The old Protocol meant the EU could impose new or amended laws on the people of NI without them having a say – that is undemocratic. To address this, the Stormont Brake will allow for the Northern Ireland Assembly to enable the UK Government to veto new EU laws through a ‘petition of concern’ mechanism in the Good Friday Agreement.
- Placing the Windsor Agreement in international law by subjecting it to the Vienna Convention.
This has all been achieved by doing what nobody thought was possible: scrapping 1,700 pages of EU law and making radical, permanent, legally binding changes, including to the Protocol Treaty text to end the presumption of dynamic alignment and end the ratchet of EU law. Less than 3 per cent of EU rules apply in NI, which are the minimum necessary to ensure that there is no hard border between NI and Ireland, and NI retains privileged access to the EU market.
The Government was always clear when introducing the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill that a negotiated deal was our preference. The legal basis of the Bill has now fallen away, and there is now no lawful justification for proceeding with it. The Bill was never a perfect solution – the UK remained under an international law obligation to accept European Court of Justice jurisdiction and dynamic alignment, with all EU rules applying in the Red Lane. The Windsor Agreement gives us the benefits of the Bill – and more.
I will continue to consider any further debate on the Framework in the House. You can read the Framework via the attached pdf below.
