'Don't trust me, judge for yourself how Windsor Framework works,' Northern Ireland Secretary urges
The Northern Ireland Secretary of State has voiced his confidence in new trading arrangements between GB and NI, urging people "don't trust me, judge for yourself how well the Windsor Framework works".
Despite it dominating Northern Ireland politics, there was little knowledge of it at the Conservative Party conference.
key measures of the Windsor Framework came into effect for Northern Ireland on Sunday, including the green/red lane system for the movement of goods and “not for EU” labels.
The DUP has been blocking power sharing for more than a year in protest at the internal UK trade barriers created by Brexit’s Northern Ireland Protocol.
The party says the deal struck by the EU and the UK to reform the protocol – the Windsor Framework – does not sufficiently address its concerns and has made clear it will not accept a return to devolution until the Government provides further assurances, by way of legislation, over Northern Ireland’s place in the UK internal market. On Sunday a small group of loyalists staged a mock funeral for the Good Friday Agreement.
The say the peace accord has been killed by the customs border created by the framework.
The Secretary of State says the Windsor framework is the solution and he's calling on the public to reserve judgment on the new arrangements.
"I think the best way to examine it is by looking at the reality of what is going on.
"As lorries come off the boats and through the different ports we know there are absolutely checks into lorries going into into the red light, but just looking at what is the friction in the green lane.
"I know people don't trust politicians don't trust them, don't trust me have a look at exactly what's going on."
Negotiations between the government and the DUP to restore Stormont may be approaching a critical juncture.
However, no one from the party is at the conference in Manchester.
Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie is attending. He voiced his pessimism over a return of power sharing in Northern Ireland any time soon.
On the Windsor Framework, he said: "The Secretary saying says it'll be fine, everything will work well. I'm not sure it will.
"But we do need to see what the issues are that it kicks off and then we need to tackle those issues. And that's what I intend to do."
On power sharing, he added: "I'm more pessimistic now than I've ever been if I'm really honest with you, and I've tried to be really optimistic and pretty much everything that I have been saying but I'm slightly more pessimistic now."
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