- The UK Internal Market Bill ensures unfettered trade across the United Kingdom.
- The Bill will put in place reasonable steps to create a safety net that ensures the Government is always able to deliver on its commitments to the people of Northern Ireland.
The UK Internal Market Bill will start to make its way through Parliament this week.
The Government has said that the Bill will help to facilitate trade between the nations of the UK after the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020, as well as providing a safety net for trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland should a free trade agreement not be possible with the EU.
The Withdrawal Agreement, and Northern Ireland Protocol, committed both the UK and EU to working towards a solution to how goods and services and people can move freely between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, including the mainland UK. It set out that it must be done "in good faith" by both parties and crucially in a way that respects the Good Friday agreement.
However, as the date by which the UK said any agreement must be concluded approaches, the Government believes that the EU is testing the limits of what "good faith" means. One issue is on EU approval for UK food standards, with the EU refusing to list the UK as a safe third country despite others on the list including Afghanistan and Angola.
This has led the UK Government to introduce clauses into the UK Internal Market Bill as a precautionary measure, ensuring that should the EU take such a position food could still travel between GB and NI, ensuring security of supply.
The Bill also provides clarity over the functioning of the UK internal market, making sure that goods and services can freely flow around all 4 nations within the UK. It will also see at least 70 powers in devolved areas flow directly to the devolved administrations which were previously exercised at the EU level.
Commenting on his support for the Bill local MP Antony Higginbotham:
This delivers on the promise I made in the General Election to protect and strengthen the union of the UK. The EU's demands on the NI Protocol are not only unreasonable but risk undermining the territorial, economic and political integrity of Northern Ireland in the UK, whilst at the same time doing enormous damage to the Good Friday Agreement. That is something none of us could allow.
The EU needs to adopt a much more realistic approach to future relationship negotiations and implementation of the NI protocol. If they do this, we can go on to a bright and prosperous future together.
The Bill provides a clear fallback, protecting Northern Ireland's position in the UK if an agreement can't be reached. And, more than that, it backs businesses across the country in ensuring products made in one part can be sold in another. That's vital for our local businesses and farmers.
