Northern Ireland Protocol

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:51 pm on 17 May 2022.

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Photo of Iain Duncan Smith Iain Duncan Smith Conservative, Chingford and Woodford Green 12:51, 17 May 2022

I welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement. The powerful article by Lord Trimble, one of the architects of the Good Friday agreement, makes it very clear that the maintenance of that agreement overcomes everything else. To that extent, it would be helpful if Opposition Members who bang on about this read the protocol. Article 13.8 makes it absolutely clear that the protocol can, through negotiation, be changed in whole or in part. The point, therefore, is that my right hon. Friend is quite correct. The EU now needs to step up to its responsibilities in the protocol and do what article 13.8 tells it to do.