Oral Answers to Questions

Christine Jardine Excerpts

Wednesday 7th September 2022 Commons Chamber

[Chris Heaton-Harris]

I thank my right hon. and learned Friend for his question and for the work that he does chairing that assembly. I, too, believe, and thought when I left the Foreign Office in February, that there is a fairly obvious landing zone for the negotiations, and I very much hope and believe that that is the case today. I think that everything can be sorted out by negotiations, but we have legislation that we will use if not.

[Christine Jardine (Edinburgh West) (LD)]

3. What recent discussions he has had with representatives of political parties in Northern Ireland on the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill.

[The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Chris Heaton-Harris)]

I thank the hon. Lady for her question. I will be speaking to each of the Northern Ireland party leaders this week on a number of issues, including the protocol and, as I may have mentioned, will be urging them to form an Executive as soon as possible.

[Christine Jardine]

As the Secretary of State is probably aware, the leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland has claimed that the Government have until now taken a rather differentiated approach to the parties, and only the Democratic Unionist party was consulted on the drafting of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill. Given the crucial importance of the protocol to our future relationship with Europe, to the future of the United Kingdom and to the people of Northern Ireland, will he do everything that he can to ensure that each party is consulted equally?

[Chris Heaton-Harris]

Forgive me, but I do not think that that is completely correct, because all parties were consulted during the process—but yes, I will talk to everybody as I move forward.