Victoria Hewson, Head of Regulatory Affairs at free market think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs commented on plans for legislation that would allow the UK government to override parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The Foreign Secretary's announcement was widely expected. Moving towards a dual regulatory zone and eliminating trade barriers between Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a welcome step.
As Liz Truss rightly noted, and as our briefing paper this week described, the Protocol is not achieving its stated objectives of protecting the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and stability in Northern Ireland.
Truss is also right to emphasise that a negotiated solution is to be preferred. It is not clear how those who resist unilateral measures, yet call for changes to the Protocol to ensure that formalities are not applied to goods with no risk of moving to the single market, propose to achieve this when the EU refuses to make the necessary changes.
The emphasis on protecting the EU single market and economic interests should minimise the risk of retaliation from the EU.
Notes to editors
Contact: Emily Carver, Head of Media, 07715 942 731, ecarver@iea.org.uk
IEA spokespeople are available for interview and further comment.
Further Reading: The Northern Ireland Protocol: Current position and ways forward by IEA Head of Regulatory Affairs, Victoria Hewson.
Northern Ireland Protocol: Foreign Secretary's statement, 17 May 2022