Thank you for contacting me about the Northern Ireland Protocol. I have always been clear that upholding the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and the huge gains of the peace process are of paramount importance. The NI Protocol protects Northern Ireland’s integral place as part of the United Kingdom, while setting out mechanisms to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, resting on the principle of consent.
Unfettered access is ensured for goods travelling from Northern Ireland to the rest of the UK. This means that there are no export declarations or any other processes on goods entering Great Britain from Northern Ireland. The Protocol recognises Northern Ireland is an integral part of the UK’s customs territory, and there are no tariffs on goods remaining in the UK customs territory.
There are minimal, electronic declarations administered by UK authorities which ensure that internal trade in the UK qualifies for tariff-free status, while there is comprehensive support offered to all traders moving goods into Northern Ireland by the Government’s Trader Support Scheme and Movement Assistance Scheme. Northern Ireland will also benefit from new UK trade agreements along with the rest of the UK.
It is crucial that the Protocol is implemented in a flexible and pragmatic way that fully respects the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland. Our approach must be able to command the broadest possible support across the community: respecting the integral links across the UK on which so many rely for goods to flow, businesses to operate and to allow them to live their daily lives with as little impact as possible, as the Protocol sets out explicitly. Protecting the gains of the peace process cannot be a task for the UK alone - as the Protocol makes clear. It is for both the UK and the EU to respect Northern Ireland’s integral place in the UK’s customs territory and internal market.
For further information on trade with Northern Ireland, I would encourage you to visit the following address: www.gov.uk/government/publications/moving-goods-under-the-northern-irel… Thank you again for taking the time to contact me