There are plans to abolish parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol
The bill will provide separate lanes for goods traveling between Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in the House of Commons in London as she outlines her intention to introduce legislation within weeks to scrap parts of the post-Brexit deal on Northern Ireland.
The Foreign Secretary has announced her intention to table legislation overwriting parts of the post-Brexit deal on Northern Ireland within weeks.
The bill will propose separate ‘green’ and ‘red’ lanes for goods traveling between the UK and Northern Ireland, with those intended to stay within the UK exempted from EU-level controls.
There will of course be no transitions between the channels, as the goods will be filtered through one or the other depending on their destination.
What impact will the legislation have?
Liz Truss told the Commons the bill will introduce the necessary measures to “reduce the strain on East-West trade and ensure that the people of Northern Ireland can enjoy the same benefits as the people of Britain”.
“The law will ensure that goods moving and staying within the UK are freed from unnecessary red tape through our new green channel,” she said.
“This respects Northern Ireland’s place in the UK, in its customs territory, and protects the UK internal market.
“At the same time, it ensures that goods destined for the EU are subject to the full checks and controls required under EU law.”
This is backed up by “data sharing agreements,” she said.
“It will allow both East-West trade and the EU’s single market to be protected, while eliminating customs paperwork for goods remaining in the UK,” she added.
Ms Truss went on to say that the bill will remove regulatory barriers to the sale of goods manufactured to UK standards in Northern Ireland, with companies being able to choose whether to comply with UK or EU standards in a new “dual regime of regulation”.
The legislation will also give the government the power to decide tax and spending policies across the UK, she said.
She added: “It will address issues related to governance and align the protocol with international norms.
“At the same time, it will introduce new measures to protect the EU’s internal market by imposing severe penalties on those who try to abuse the new system.”
When will it be introduced?
Legislation is expected to take place in the “coming weeks” before the summer break.
It is understood that the UK would withdraw the bill if all of its aims and intentions were met by the EU.
The possibility of invoking Article 16 remains on the table.
Further details are to be announced in the coming weeks.
https://www.nationalworld.com/news/uk/northern-ireland-protocol-liz-truss-legislation-scrap-parts-of-protocol-3697667 There are plans to abolish parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol
