The Northern Ireland Secretary, Brandon Lewis, has announced that there will be no renegotiation of the Brexit withdrawal agreement’s Irish Sea border, known as the Windsor Framework. In an interview with RTE, he emphasized that the protocol was the best option for Northern Ireland and that the UK Government was committed to making it work. This article will explore the implications of Lewis’s statement and the ongoing controversy surrounding the Northern Ireland protocol.
The Northern Ireland Secretary, Brandon Lewis, has stated that there will be no renegotiation of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, also known as the Windsor Framework, amid ongoing concerns about the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol. Speaking at the British-Irish Association’s annual conference on the island of Inchydoney in County Cork, Lewis underlined the UK government’s commitment to upholding the Agreement. He also sought to reassure delegates that the Northern Ireland Protocol, which has caused some tension between the UK and the EU, would be implemented in a way that respects the peace accord.
Separately, the UK government succeeded in passing its controversial ‘Stormont brake’ legislation in the House of Commons, despite several Conservative MPs rebelling against it. The bill aims to give Northern Ireland’s executive the power to temporarily halt certain processes if they are causing disruption to the economy or society. Critics, including the Irish government, have raised concerns about the potential erosion of the Good Friday Agreement’s devolved power-sharing. However, the UK government argues that the bill is necessary to ensure the smooth operation of the protocol.
Meanwhile, the UK Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has claimed that he has “strong support” from business leaders for the Brexit deal he secured with the EU in December 2020. Speaking to the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme, Sunak said that while there were issues with the deal that needed to be resolved, businesses were “overwhelmingly positive” about the prospects for trade with the EU. Sunak’s comments come as he prepares to present his budget to Parliament on 3 March, with speculation rife that he will seek to support the UK’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, one issue that continues to hamper the UK’s progress is its relationship with the EU over Northern Ireland. In a recent opinion piece for The Irish Times, commentator Chris Johns argued that improved relations between the two sides were essential to resolving the ongoing tensions over the protocol. He called for a more pragmatic approach to be adopted, with both sides acknowledging that some fudging of the agreement would be required to ensure its effective implementation.
Finally, The Guardian has published an editorial arguing that the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) must not be allowed to continue blocking the restoration of Northern Ireland’s assembly. The party has been accused of obstructing efforts to bring the assembly, which was suspended in January 2017, back into operation. The Guardian argued that restoring the assembly is crucial to the proper functioning of Northern Ireland’s political system, and that the UK government should do more to ensure that the DUP removes its obstacles to progress.
