It was an honour to be in the Commons Chamber to hear the Prime Minister announce the Windsor Framework, which replaces the Northern Ireland Protocol, dealing with the issues it created and providing a new legal and UK constitutional framework.
The Windsor Framework charts a new way forward for Northern Ireland by:
-Delivering free flowing trade by removing the border in the Irish Sea
- Safeguarding Northern Ireland’s place in our Union
- Rewriting the Treaty with new ‘Stormont Brake’ means UK can veto new EU goods laws if they are not supported by both communities in Northern Ireland
It delivers free-flowing trade in goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland by removing any sense of the border in the Irish Sea for goods staying within the UK. These goods will travel as normal through a new green lane without red tape or unnecessary checks, with the only checks remaining designed to prevent smuggling or crime.
The Windsor Framework protects Northern Ireland’s place in our Union, replacing swathes of EU laws with UK laws and ensuring the people of Northern Ireland can benefit from the same tax policies, food and drink, medicines, and parcels as the rest of the UK.
Finally, puts the people of Northern Ireland in charge with active democratic consent. The Agreement rewrites the Treaty text with a new Stormont Brake that means the UK can veto new EU goods laws if they are not supported by both communities in Northern Ireland, which goes far beyond previous agreements or discussions on the old Protocol.
As a result of the Windsor Framework, the Government will no longer be proceeding with the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill and the EU will be withdrawing all of the legal actions it has launched against the UK.
It’s time to move forward and work together for the people and businesses of Northern Ireland and this is the opportunity to heal and work in friendship and partnership with the EU. The world has moved on and it’s time to make sure we are united on taking on the challenges with pragmatism.
Further details on the Windsor Framework can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/windsor-framework-unveiled-to-fix-problems-of-the-northern-ireland-protocol
You can read the full text of the Framework here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-windsor-framework
