i think the s and ps argument an all this is ete all the seeds. It's slightly more difficult for them to have ig argued against breket, about leaving their biggest trading partner that ned of the u. In many ways, scottish independence is so much more easy an irish reunification. There's little sign actng a public mood on either side of the border shifting dramatically one way or another. So i think sometimes when we talk about scottish indipends and irish munification, we can't them is quite similar. And in many ways, they action couldn't be ther. I mean, o genuinely a long time.
The Northern Ireland Protocol – agreed between the United Kingdom and the European Union in 2019 – has been a source of tension since it came into force at the start of 2021. The protocol, which creates a special trading arrangement for goods coming in and out of Northern Ireland (the only part of the UK with a land border with the EU), was supposed to protect the integrity of the EU single market, maintain the peace on the island of Ireland and provide Boris Johnson with a way to finally get Brexit done.
But fast-forward to today and the protocol is as contentious as ever. Unionists in Northern Ireland say the protocol is undermining the region’s place within the UK. Brexiteers say it is hampering Britain’s ability to make trade deals with the rest of the world. And the Government has now proposed a bill to make unilateral changes to the protocol which they say will preserve the Good Friday Agreement, changes which EU leaders say they will resist with legal action.
How do we make sense of this thorny issue? Should the protocol be kept intact to maintain trust between the UK and the EU, or should it be rewritten to preserve the UK’s political stability?
Speakers:
Jill Rutter - Senior research fellow of UK in a Changing Europe
Claire Hanna MP - SDLP Member of Parliament for South Belfast since 2019
Darren McCaffrey - Political Editor and Breakfast Presenter at GB News
Moderator:
Emma Vardy- BBC Ireland Correspondent covering both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland
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