NI pro-remain parties urge UK to ‘honour its commitments’ on protocol
Leaders of the pro-remain parties at Stormont have said any attempt by the UK government to abandon the Northern Ireland protocol in the Brexit process would be a “serious betrayal”.
The Financial Times reported the Government is planning to table legislation which would override key elements of the Withdrawal Agreement which sealed the UK's departure from the EU in January.
The move raised concerns the Government could walk away from the Northern Ireland protocol - intended to ensure that there is no return of a hard border with the Republic - if the talks on a free trade deal fail.
Video report by Vicki Hawthorne with analysis from Political Editor Ken Reid:
The UK's Environment Secretary George Eustice said the Internal Market Bill, due to be published on Wednesday, was simply designed to tie up some "loose ends" where there was a need for "legal certainty".
However pro-remain parties at Stormont have reacted strongly to the potential consequences of the proposed legislation. The leaders of the Alliance Party, Green Party, SDLP and Sinn Féin have written a joint letter to to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier urging them to implement the protocol.
On Monday, Michelle O'Neill said the government has been 'astounding arrogant' and she would be looking to EU and Dublin to ensure Northern Ireland is protected.She said: “I think that this just ranks, in terms of the British government’s approach, it’s astoundingly arrogant. Their attempt to try and set aside an international agreement at the expense of our interests here is just astounding and I very much look towards the EU and Dublin to the Irish government to make sure that they stand firm in the face of this attempt by the British government to try and side step what they themselves agreed to.”
"They have never prioritised the interests of the people who live here , what we need to make sure is that our interests are protected and that that protocol is implemented because that is our insurance policy."
The matter was debated at Stormont, where MLAs clashed over the prospect of the UK overriding elements of the deal. The DUP's Christopher Stalford said he hoped the speculation proved correct and the protocol was overridden.
"We will be doing all we can to act in the interests of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom and it's precisely because we are acting in the interests of Northern Ireland that we, as a party, are opposed to this protocol," he said.
"It will damage our economy, because it hives us off from our largest market, the GB market.
"As a sovereign and now thankfully independent country, the United Kingdom has the right to legislate upon the regulation of its own internal market.
"It is to be hoped that this is what is about to be undertaken this week by the Government."
Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has also expressed concern about the UK's intention, saying it would be a "very unwise way to proceed".
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said the Government would be undermining the Good Friday Agreement, risking the future of the UK and destroying its own credibility on the world stage if it proceeded with one of the most “reckless” acts concerning Ireland by a British government “in a long long time”.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Westminster Hour, Mr Eastwood said he hoped the reported manoeuvrings by the Government were “just posturing, because if they try to do this at the same time as trying to convince people in Scotland and Northern Ireland about the future of their Union, well they may as well forget about that as well, because people here will see this as a tremendous act of bad faith”.
Alliance leader Naomi Long said the proposals have consequences far beyond the Northern Ireland protocol and would mean any country would think twice about doing deals with the UK.
Ulster Unionist leader Steve Aiken said he believed the Northern Ireland protocol should be changed and a "fair and just agreement" negotiated.
He said: “The speculation about the Government`s position on the Northern Ireland Protocol has driven a very predictable and regrettable reaction from those who are content to have a border down the Irish Sea, regardless of the impact on Northern Ireland businesses and our consumers.
"Nobody should be in any doubt that the Northern Ireland Protocol is the worst of both worlds economically and constitutionally for Northern Ireland. It attacks the very foundations of the Belfast Agreement and should be amended. If there is any chance to change it, it should be changed. “The negotiations should be focused on reaching a fair and just outcome which both protects our businesses and respects the Belfast Agreement rather than thrusting a bureaucratic monstrosity on Northern Ireland which puts the interests of the EU ahead of the citizens of Northern Ireland. There should be no barriers to trade within our own country. "