Allister Bill published

“For me this Bill is about restoring equilibrium to both Northern Ireland’s place within the UK and to the UK’s relationship with the EU.

“Both are at present out of kilter through NI being subject to an arrangement whereby in over 300 areas NI’s laws are made by a foreign parliament, not by Westminster or Stormont, and an international customs border operates, at the EU’s behest, in the Irish Sea.

“This Bill would restore sovereignty over Uk law-making to the UK (in particular through Clause 5, supplemented by Clause 2) and deal with the challenges of a land border with the EU through providing for an arrangement of ‘mutual enforcement’ in respect of goods moving between the UK and EU (Clauses 6-10).

“Mutual enforcement would work on the basis of making it an offence under UK law to export through NI goods which do not comply with EU regulatory standards, with corresponding provision in Irish law assuring compliance with UK standards in respect of goods moving into NI. Thereby, the need for fixed border posts is removed as customs controls and payment of duties could take place at Standard Centres located away from the border.

“The Bill also takes the opportunity to reinstate the core premise of the Belfast Agreement, namely that key and controversial decisions in the NI Assembly must be made on a cross-community basis. This is done by Clause19 imposing that cross-community requirement on any vote in the Stormont Assembly on continuance of the Protocol/Windsor Framework provisions.

“In terms of its structure the Bill draws heavily on the Protocol Bill 2022 which passed the Commons during the Johnston government, and which would have taken back powers surrendered in the Protocol and also provided for mutual enforcement.