Northern Ireland Protocol: Grace Period Debate
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Lord Foulkes of Cumnock
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Northern Ireland Protocol: Grace Period
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock Excerpts(3 years, 1 month ago)
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Lord Frost (Con)
My Lords, my noble friend makes a very acute observation about the situation. As I have noted, the protocol must be implemented in a way that takes account of all strands of the Good Friday agreement—that is, east-west as well as north-south. The EU’s decision to activate Article 16 in January, however briefly, has compounded the difficulties and severely shaken confidence. We would obviously prefer it if the EU would reckon with the situation it has created and work with us to ensure that trade can flow in all directions, including to Northern Ireland, in a free and fair manner.
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab Co-op)
My Lords, further to the question from my noble friend Lady Smith, does the Minister not now regret taking unilateral action against an agreement which he was party to? Does he not worry that no one will accept or trust his word ever again?