‘Historic’ Northern Ireland deal breaks Brexit gridlock

The UK and the EU have broken Brexit gridlock in a “historic” agreement that is set to replace the original Northern Ireland protocol.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak and EU Commission leader Ursula von der Leyen today hailed a new ‘Windsor framework’ – which will largely scrap the controversial NI protocol signed by Boris Johnson – in a joint press conference that marked the end of four months of intense negotiation.

Sunak said the agreement delivered “smooth-flowing trade within the whole of the UK” and protected Northern Ireland’s place in the union, which would help “end the uncertainty”.

Von der Leyen assured the same food would be available in Northern Ireland as in the rest of the UK, while outlining the “strong safeguards” that would protect the integrity of the EU’s single market.

At the heart of the deal is the so-called green lane and red lane system, which will help ease the flow of goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland while reducing Irish Sea border checks.

British goods intended to stay in Northern Ireland will use the green lane at NI ports, which means they will require less paperwork and no burdensome checks. Other goods headed south of the border to the Republic of Ireland or other EU countries will use the red lane and will have to abide by the bloc’s strict regulations.

“We have removed any sense of a border in the Irish Sea,” the UK prime minister said at the press conference in Windsor.

However, it is not yet known how exactly these checks will work in practice.

The UK had already agreed to share customs data with the EU to help track goods entering the island of Ireland and avoid the wrong products crossing the Irish land border.

Hardline Tory Brexiteers and Democratic Unionist Party members – who have been boycotting power-sharing at Stormont over the protocol – will be combing through the proposals in the coming days.

One of the key issues for those most critical of the NI protocol was the involvement of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in rules applying to trade in Northern Ireland, which Sunak and von der Leyen claim to have solved with the introduction of the “Stormont brake”.

This will give members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) a say over EU rules affecting Northern Ireland, and will apply to changes to EU customs, goods, and agriculture rules within the scope of the original protocol that NI currently abides by. 

If they decide to “pull a brake” – oppose any EU rule – the UK government will have a veto.

Sunak confirmed the agreement would be voted on by parliament after calls from MPs to have their say in the vital Brexit deal. This would give Northern Irish politicians “time and space” to go over the details before any vote, he said.

Von der Leyen hailed the agreement as a “new chapter” in the UK and the EU’s relationship.

“We’re standing on the same side, shoulder by shoulder and we want the best solution for the people of Northern Ireland,” she said. “There was a very constructive attitude from the very beginning to solve problems, to find solutions for everyday life of the people and businesses in Northern Ireland. That’s what we’ve done.”

The food industry has welcomed the Windsor Framework, albeit cautiously, given the amount of detail yet to come.

Food & Drink Federation head of international trade Dominic Goudie said he would welcome any deal that put an end to the “significant uncertainty food and drink manufacturers have faced over the past two years”.

The FDF looked forward to “seeing the details of this agreement, and how it will provide a pragmatic and business-friendly solution that will ensure Northern Irish consumers can continue to enjoy the full choice of quality UK products, without facing higher prices”, he added.

Neil Johnston, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, said: “It is positive to see both sides have agreed a permanent deal that addresses key issues such as controls on movement of goods, but it is difficult to be more definitive at this stage as the detail is key.”

Logistics UK’s head of trade and devolved policy Nichola Mallon said news of a “durable outcome between the UK and EU” on Northern Ireland helped secure “the stability and predictability businesses need”.

The trade body, which has been heavily involved in discussions with government representatives over recent months, is now going to work through the technical details of the deal with its members.

Rupert Ashby, CEO of the British Frozen Food Federation, also hailed the deal as “good news for businesses throughout the frozen food supply chain, which are looking forward to more efficient trade relations within the UK and to the EU.

“For frozen food producers, distributors and retailers which have faced difficulties since the withdrawal agreement, this marks the beginning of a positive new chapter.”

The Cold Chain Federation’s CEO Shane Brennan pointed out cold chain operators working between NI and GB had been contending with “great uncertainty, frequent disruption and hugely increased bureaucratic burden and expense” over the past couple of years.

Today’s announcement was a welcome step towards a “more efficient system”, he said. But Brennan added there were still “important details that government will need to get right”.