Clergy say they have been disappointed by how flexible the e has proved. Would you hope, even though you're supportive of the protocol, would you have hoped for a little more? Be very clear. We we want, you know, maximum accessforfor for northern ireland and have advocated that,. And w we vindicated our support for things like greenland. Thest were the first out of the traps to call that that for the huge mistake it was. It is a little bit frustratend because there has been substantial compromise. i suppose we've stopped even asking the ar the u k to compromise.
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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