Northern Ireland Protocol Bill

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 7:06 pm on 27 June 2022.

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Photo of Robert Buckland Robert Buckland Conservative, South Swindon 7:06, 27 June 2022

My hon. Friend makes a powerful case. His amendment to that Bill was adopted by this House in 2020; I thought it was a sensible mechanism to allow this House of Commons to have its final say with regard to the implementation of these measures based on clear evidence.

My point is simply that this is not a matter of law or a question of legality. There is a respectable argument that can be deployed by the British Government to assert necessity, but this is not about the law; it is about the evidence that the Government will need to marshal to demonstrate that point. The Government’s responsibility is to be a good steward of the Good Friday/Belfast agreement.