At the UK Heads of Mission Conference in London earlier this week, my Foreign Secretary made clear that there is no higher priority in UK foreign policy right now than working with our international partners to tackle Russian aggression in Ukraine. We are working closely and effectively with all our EU partners, including Malta, to that end.
The Foreign Secretary also explained plans she set out in parliament last week for action at home, action the UK government judges necessary to maintain hard-won peace and stability in Northern Ireland. This stability was secured through the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, an agreement which saw compromise and tolerance resolve decades of instability.
The United Kingdom’s first priority is to uphold this agreement in all its dimensions. It established a power-sharing government at Stormont on the basis of consent and parity of esteem for all communities, intensified north-south cooperation on the island of Ireland and enhanced arrangements for cooperation with the rest of the UK.
These arrangements are under increasing strain, with the Northern Ireland Executive not functioning fully. This is because the Northern Ireland Protocol, drawn up as part of the UK’s agreement on exiting the EU, does not have the support necessary in one part of the community.
The practical problems being caused by the Protocol are clear to see. Customs procedures for moving goods within the UK have meant companies are facing significant costs and paperwork. Many British businesses have withdrawn products from sale in Northern Ireland or given up trading there altogether. Rules on taxation mean that citizens in Northern Ireland cannot benefit fully from the same economic decisions as everyone else in our country. This situation is clearly unacceptable and unsustainable and something a responsible government cannot countenance.
Our preference is to reach a negotiated outcome with the EU. The UK has been engaged in negotiations with the EU to that end for almost 18 months and we will continue to work tirelessly to secure a positive outcome.
The UK has proposed what we believe to be a comprehensive and reasonable solution to deliver on the objectives of the Protocol. This includes a Trusted Trader scheme to provide the EU with real-time commercial data, providing confidence that goods intended for Northern Ireland are not entering the EU Single Market.
Our proposed solution would meet both parties’ original objectives for the Protocol. It would address the frictions in trade with the rest of the UK while protecting the EU Single Market and the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.
The Northern Ireland Protocol was designed in a such a way that it could be amended if needed- Cathy Ward
The challenge is that genuinely solving the problems requires a change in the Protocol itself as its current drafting prevents these solutions from being implemented but the EU’s mandate does not allow the Protocol to be changed. This is why we hope EU member states will appreciate that, while we welcome the spirit of the EU’s current proposals, they are simply not able to address the fundamental concerns.
Our shared objective has to be to find a solution that can command the broadest possible cross-community support for years to come. That is why my Foreign Secretary has announced our intention to introduce legislation in the coming weeks to make the necessary, targeted changes to the Protocol.
In parallel, we remain open to further talks if we can achieve the same outcome through negotiated settlement, which is by far our preferred option.
The Protocol was designed in such a way that it could be amended if needed as no-one knew exactly how it would work in practice. So, this is not about getting rid of it, rather adjusting it to ensure it works properly.
We remain open to a negotiated solution but the urgency of the situation means we cannot afford to delay any longer. We must restore the primacy of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in all its dimensions as the basis for the restoration of the Executive.
We seek to do so in a way that fundamentally respects both unions: that of the UK and of the EU.
As co-signatory and co-guarantor of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, the UK will take the necessary decisions to preserve peace and stability.
Cathy Ward, UK High Commissioner