Northern Ireland Protocol: Disruption to Trade Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Northern Ireland Protocol: Disruption to Trade

Alison McGovern Excerpts
Wednesday 13th January 2021

(3 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Michael Gove Portrait Michael Gove
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My right hon. Friend is absolutely right on those three things, which are absolutely at the heart of the approach that we are taking and that we have to take. We must make sure that there is no over-zealous interpretation on the ground; we must make sure that the European Union, along with the United Kingdom, lives up to its obligations to the people of Northern Ireland; and we must work with businesses in order to remove any misunderstandings and confusion that arises by affirming—as he did, quite rightly—the integral part of Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom.

Alison McGovern Portrait Alison McGovern (Wirral South) (Lab) [V]
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If the Minister says that much of the problem is businesses understanding what is expected of them, and that is a responsibility that falls squarely on his shoulders, then that does rather prompt the question of what he has been doing. My hon. Friend the Member for Belfast South (Claire Hanna) suggested a working group. Why does he not bring one forward?