Foreign Secretary, , will tell Parliament today (Monday 27 June) that new
legislation will fix the problems that parts of the Northern
Ireland Protocol have created and help uphold the Belfast (Good
Friday) Agreement.
At the second reading today, Parliament is set to debate the
Government’s Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which introduces
solutions in four key areas: burdensome customs processes,
inflexible regulation, tax and spend discrepancies, and
democratic governance issues. This will change parts of the
Protocol, while leaving the rest intact.
Truss will tell MPs that the Bill is a basis for a durable and
sustainable solution that protects the Belfast (Good Friday)
Agreement, avoids a hard border, safeguards the EU Single Market
and ensures the integrity of the UK. It also allows the UK
to implement a negotiated solution in the event that one can be
reached with the EU.
Foreign Secretary, , said:
“Our overriding priority is protecting the Belfast (Good
Friday) Agreement, the bedrock of peace and stability in Northern
Ireland - as it stands the Protocol is undermining this delicate
balance.
“This legislation will fix the problems the Protocol has
created, ensuring that goods can flow freely within the UK, while
avoiding a hard border and safeguarding the EU Single
Market. A negotiated solution has been and remains our
preference, but the EU continues to rule out changing the
Protocol itself – even though it is patently causing serious
problems in Northern Ireland – which therefore means we are
obliged to act.”
Following 18 months of discussions with the EU, the UK’s
preference remains for a negotiated solution to fix the problems
which are baked into the Protocol. But the EU must be
willing to change the Protocol itself. Ministers believe
that the serious situation in Northern Ireland means they cannot
afford to delay.
Alongside the second reading, the Government is launching a
series of structured engagements with the business community, to
discuss and gather views on the detailed implementation of the
Bill. The Foreign Office is hosting the first roundtable event
today with businesses and business groups from across Northern
Ireland and the rest of the UK. This builds on years of intensive
engagement to date, where ministers have heard first-hand from
business the problems the Protocol is causing on the
ground.
Today’s event brings together more than a dozen major UK
businesses and representative groups including the Northern
Ireland Chamber of Commerce, Asda, John Lewis and the Dairy
Council NI. Truss will address the gathering held at the Foreign,
Commonwealth and Development Office in London, where businesses
will have an opportunity to discuss the solutions to ensure the
best possible outcome.
The legislation will implement durable solutions in each
of the four key areas:
- Green and red channels to remove unnecessary costs and
paperwork for businesses trading within the UK, while
ensuring full checks are done for goods entering the EU
- Businesses to have the choice of placing goods on the market
in Northern Ireland according to either UK or EU goods
rules, to ensure that Northern Ireland consumers are not
prevented from buying UK standard goods, including as UK and EU
regulations diverge over time.
- Ensure NI can benefit from the same tax breaks and spending
policies as the rest of the UK, including VAT cuts on
energy-saving materials and Covid recovery loans.
- Normalise governance arrangements so that disputes are
resolved by independent arbitration and not by the European
Court of Justice
ENDS
