Prime Minister must protect NI

THE democratic right to petition government on contentious issues provides a valuable instrument for the public to hold ministers to account.

It was entirely appropriate that the debate on the EU Protocol was held at Westminster, because it was Prime Minister Boris Johnson who made the promise that Northern Ireland, as an integral member of the United Kingdom, would have unfettered access to the mainland GB market.

This is the crux of the issue: a clear promise made by the First Lord of the Treasury, reinforced by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, that trade within the UK would be unaffected by Brexit.

It is for the Prime Minister to account to Parliament on the difficulties that have already been experienced and forecasted to come as a result of the EU Protocol and what steps his Government will take to resolve them.

At a recent Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Johnson undertook to explore every avenue and, if necessary, will consider revoking Article 16 of the Protocol. This article states that, if the application of the Protocol leads to serious economic, societal, or environmental difficulties that are liable to persist, or to diversion of trade, then either side can impose appropriate safeguarding measures.

It is for the Prime Minister to be true to his word and deliver unfettered trade between Northern Ireland and GB.

It is early days, but reports of food shortages and the refusal of some mainland suppliers to continue delivering products to Northern Ireland is a great concern and agreement must be reached on resolving impediments to the free movement of trade. Light-touch checks at ports, adopting, for example, the trusted trader tool, was mooted during negotiations and technological solutions must now be revisited and agreement reached on adopting measures that are fair and that work.

Northern Ireland should not be used as a political football between the UK and EU, evidenced by the recent debacle when the EU threatened to revoke Article 16 over the supply of vaccines to Northern Ireland. Talk of collapsing the Assembly, with the prospect of societal unrest over the Protocol, is also unhelpful.

The Prime Minister supports the Union. He must be true to his promise that Northern Ireland remains an integral part of the UK and ensure, in consultation with all parties concerned, that the free movement of goods within the UK continues to the benefit of every citizen in Northern Ireland and all political parties.

RICHARD MOLYNEAUX Crawfordsburn, Co Down