Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

N.Ireland unionists oppose key part of Brexit trade deal

N.Ireland unionists oppose key part of Brexit trade deal
A poster protesting against the Northern Ireland protocol is displayed on February 27, 2023 in Larne, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
Getty Images

Northern Ireland's largest pro-UK party said Monday they oppose a crucial part of a new post-Brexit trade pact for the British province agreed by London and the European Union.

A vote in Britain's parliament on parts of the pact - which would give Northern Irish lawmakers an effective veto over new EU rules being imposed on the UK province - is due to take place on Wednesday.


Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Jeffrey Donaldson welcomed progress on the issue but said "the imposition of EU law" on Northern Ireland had not been resolved.

The mechanism - referred to as the "Stormont brake" - was a key element in a landmark compromise announced by London and Brussels last month, following months of negotiations.

Wrangling over post-Brexit trade soured relations between London and Brussels and unsettled Northern Ireland, nearly 25 years on from a peace deal that ended three decades of armed conflict.

It had been hoped the new agreement, dubbed the Windsor Framework, would be accepted by all sides and help lead to the restoration of power-sharing in the province.

The DUP collapsed the devolved government last year over its opposition to the post-Brexit arrangements, which it claimed put Northern Ireland's place in the wider UK at risk.

However, Donaldson said DUP lawmakers and officials had "unanimously agreed... that our members of parliament would vote against the draft statutory instrument on Wednesday".

The brake would allow Northern Ireland's devolved assembly to potentially block the application of new EU laws if a group of lawmakers in Northern Ireland's devolved assembly formally petition over an objection.

It was designed to address concerns voiced by unionists, and Donaldson's party in particular, over what they had referred to as a "democratic deficit" in existing trade rules.

Under the "Northern Ireland Protocol" sealed in 2020, the province is subject to some EU rules that do not apply elsewhere in the UK.

That protocol was aimed at avoiding the creation of a hard land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which remains an EU member.

But it has angered pro-UK unionists who argue it keeps Northern Ireland under EU rules despite the UK having left, and makes a united Ireland more likely.

The DUP's apparent opposition to the new proposals raises the prospect that the Stormont assembly will not be sitting during events in April to mark the 25th anniversary of 1998 peace accords, when US President Joe Biden is set to attend.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesman told reporters the vote will still proceed on Wednesday and he was "confident" it would be passed.

"We continue to believe this is the best deal for the people and businesses of Northern Ireland," he said.

The spokesman denied DUP claims about the "Stormont Brake", saying the EU has "no role" in deciding if it is used or not.

"The treaty is clear that's for the people of the UK alone," he added.

More for you

Budget 2024: Local shops to face significant new pressure

(Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

(Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Budget 2024: Local shops to face significant new pressure

Local shops will face significant new pressures as a result of today’s Budget, the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has warned.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves' budget's impact will be felt unevenly across the UK’s 50,000 convenience stores, with some measures such as business rate relief and the increased employment allowance mitigating costs for smaller independent stores, while providing no help for chains and larger independent businesses.

Keep ReadingShow less
C-store body warns of 'inflation-busting increase in wage costs'
Woman Holding British Pound
Getty Images/iStockphoto

C-store body warns of 'inflation-busting increase in wage costs'

Convenience store body Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) today (30) has warned the Chancellor about the negative effects of the new National Living Wage (NLW) increase, a day after the Chancellor announced a pay rise for over 3 million workers next year, with NLW rates rising by 6.7 perc cent.

From April 2025, the NLW will increase from £11.44 to £12.21 while 18-20 National Minimum Wage will rise by £1.40 per hour to £10 - the largest increase on record, marking the first step towards a single adult rate.

Keep ReadingShow less
SPAR retailer hits target to secure £100,000 free stock from James Hall

SPAR retailer hits target to secure £100,000 free stock from James Hall

SPAR North of England retailer Dara Singh Randhawa’s family store has been awarded £100,000 of free stock after hitting all his targets since moving to the symbol.

Dara and his family, who have their SPAR store in Patrington in the East Riding of Yorkshire, joined SPAR through its association with James Hall & Co. Ltd in August 2023 having taken the decision to maximise the store’s potential.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pound Sterling bank notes
iStock

National Living Wage to increase to £12.21 in April 2025

The government has on Wednesday announced its acceptance of the Low Pay Commission’s (LPC) recommendations on the rates of the National Minimum Wage (NMW), including the National Living Wage (NLW).

The rates which will apply from 1 April 2025 are as follows:

Keep ReadingShow less
image001
Rude Health
Rude Health

Oddlygood acquires Rude Health

Finnish plant-based company, Oddlygood, has acquired pioneering British plant-based company, Rude Health, for an undisclosed sum.

Oddlygood is a key player in the Nordic plant-based market, where in six years it’s grown to an anticipated turnover close to €50m this year and a widely stocked range of plant-based alternatives to milk, cheese, desserts, cooking products and yoghurts.

Keep ReadingShow less