Supply of Machinery (Safety) (Amendment etc.) and the EU Machinery Regulation (Enforcement etc. in Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown Excerpts

Monday 20th July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (DUP)]

My Lords, I support the amendment in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Hoey. These regulations drive another wedge between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, cementing the gradual disintegration of our union by legislative stealth. Once again, we in Northern Ireland are the sacrificial lambs sent to the slaughter to appease Europe.

In my opinion, this is a debate about fairness; it is about having an equal footing within the internal market between the four constituent parts of the United Kingdom. It is totally unacceptable that Northern Ireland stands on uneven ground. Businesses have already been fettered by the weight of the Windsor Framework bureaucracy, and now our Government want to apply even more red tape—much to their shame.

Companies and consumers based in Northern Ireland who depend on buying in machinery made in Great Britain will be very concerned about what these regulations will mean—certainly from 20 January 2027 onwards until the same legislation applies to Great Britain, although we do not know when that will be. There is no clarity concerning that timeline. Should businesses contact their suppliers in Great Britain now and encourage them to continue supplying the Northern Ireland market, despite the additional costs involved? In other words, are GB manufacturers expected to absorb the cost of having their machinery assessed against EU standards that apply in Northern Ireland, and of obtaining UKNI marking so that Northern Ireland businesses and consumers can continue to buy the products they need at prices comparable to those they have traditionally paid within their home economy?

I trust the Minister can tell us whether he fully understands why these regulations genuinely worry companies and consumers in Northern Ireland? The worst possible outcome is that many businesses in Great Britain will decide that it is no longer worth the hassle to sell to the Northern Ireland market. In the same vein, can the Minister also tell the House which organisation a GB manufacturer will need to approach to have machinery assessed against the relevant EU standard and what the expected cost of that assessment will be? Once compliance with EU standards has been demonstrated, which organisation will be responsible for issuing or facilitating the UKNI marking and what will be the cost of that process?

Unless greater detail is brought forward, I fear—even beyond the constitutional damage—that these regulations will cost businesses financially and practically. Can the Minister clarify what will happen to products that have already been manufactured and are in warehouses in Northern Ireland but do not have UKNI marking? If they are not sold by 20 January 2027, will they have to be scrapped or sent to GB? I am acutely aware that one company has had to scrap 11 perfectly good condenser tumble dryers because they were unable to sell them before the EU ban on selling condenser tumble dryers came in. I would regret it if this was the case for all the machinery to which these regulations pertain if they were produced without a UKNI marking.

In reality, these regulations do nothing to advantage or uplift British citizens. They were designed by foreign representatives in a foreign polity, not by this Parliament. The regulations are not made to be amended. They have been created with the sole purpose of appeasing the European Union. The people of Northern Ireland have had no say over these regulations and it is an insult to democracy that they should be imposed over our heads.

In conclusion, we have started today with a new Prime Minister. He speaks about a reset with Europe. Would it be too much to expect that our Prime Minister would stand up against Europe and defend the unity of the United Kingdom, remove the iniquitous Windsor Framework and permit us to trade freely within the United Kingdom on equal footing with the rest of the UK?