Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Negotiations: Lord Frost and the European Commission

Wednesday 16 June 2021 · 9 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 4 Partly answered 4 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Lord Frost has regular discussions with Vice-President efovi regarding the Northern Ireland protocol.
  • The Secretary of State emphasizes the importance of mutual trust in resolving issues related to the Northern Ireland protocol.
  • Engagement with businesses and civil society in Northern Ireland is undertaken to build trust and understand the protocol's real-world impacts.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Joanna Cherry SNP
Northern Ireland
Context

The question follows concerns over negotiations with the EU regarding the Northern Ireland protocol, which impacts trade and peace stability in Northern Ireland. Previous discussions had focused on finding pragmatic solutions to ensure the protocol works as intended.

Question

What recent discussions has Lord Frost had with Vice-President Šefčovič on the Northern Ireland protocol? Have you conducted joint engagements with businesses and civil society to understand the real-world impacts of the protocol?

Answer from Brandon Lewis

I regularly discuss our approach to the Northern Ireland protocol with Lord Frost. We have conducted joint engagements together in Northern Ireland on a regular basis with businesses and civil society, as well as joint engagements with Vice-President Šefčovič to consolidate our understanding of the real-world impacts of the protocol.

Answered
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Q2 Joanna Cherry SNP
Northern Ireland Brexit
Context

There are concerns that the UK's approach to Northern Ireland protocol negotiations could lead to a breach of international treaties, harming stability in Northern Ireland and damaging the UK's global reputation. Previous statements have referenced the possibility of breaking international law.

Question

A trade war has been threatened due to the Northern Ireland protocol. Does the Secretary of State regret saying that the Government were prepared to break international law? What is the current status regarding the Good Friday/Belfast agreement?

Answer from Brandon Lewis

I was answering a factual position last year. We were creating an insurance policy to ensure unfettered access from Northern Ireland to Great Britain, which we secured without needing those clauses. The Government will do what they said they would and protect the Good Friday/Belfast agreement in all its aspects.

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Q3 Simon Hoare Con North Dorset
Northern Ireland
Context

There is a focus on building mutual understanding and trust between UK and EU officials as well as with civil society and businesses in Northern Ireland. Previous meetings have highlighted the importance of this approach.

Question

Jo Cox was a part of my intake in 2015, making us miss her deeply. Does my right hon. Friend agree that mutual trust is key to sorting out the position on the Northern Ireland protocol? What actions are being taken as Secretary of State to ensure that this issue of trust and its importance is understood across Whitehall?

Answer from Brandon Lewis

My hon. Friend makes an important point. I work closely with Lord Foster on these issues, emphasizing mutual understanding and trust. Engaging civil society and businesses in Northern Ireland is fundamental for building this trust, ensuring that the protocol delivers as intended.

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Q4 Louise Haigh Lab Sheffield Heeley
Northern Ireland
Context

There is pressure on the UK government to commit to a veterinary agreement that would eliminate most checks in the Northern Ireland protocol. Recent negotiations have been described as diplomatic failures, with concerns over bickering and blame games.

Question

I support efforts to ensure a strong, stable Executive for Northern Ireland during these challenges. However, it was an extraordinary failure for the Prime Minister to spend a crucial summit being rebuked by allies. Is it time to commit seriously to a veterinary agreement that would eliminate most checks in our Union?

Answer from Brandon Lewis

Our partners were clear on the importance of protecting the Good Friday agreement. We have put forward over a dozen proposals to the EU, seeking pragmatic solutions that deliver for Northern Ireland. The EU must show flexibility and pragmatism as well as talk about it.

Partly answered

Not addressed: specific commitment to a veterinary agreement

How: Put Forward Over A Dozen Proposals

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Q5 Louise Haigh Lab Sheffield Heeley
Northern Ireland Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

Concerns have been raised about the veterinary agreement between the UK and EU affecting trade checks in Northern Ireland. There are issues regarding how changes were implemented, particularly that they feel imposed rather than agreed upon.

Question

We need to see the details of that veterinary agreement in order to ensure that it really would eliminate the vast majority of those checks. A significant part of the problem is that people in Northern Ireland feel that these changes have been imposed on them—that they have been done to them, not with them. So how is the Secretary of State going to ensure that representatives from politics, business and civil society in Northern Ireland are brought meaningfully into the negotiations, not just engagement, so that any solution is sustainable and permanently eases tensions?

Answer from Brandon Lewis

The Executive and Executive members have been part of a specialist committee. They have also been part of the wider engagement meetings and had a chance to feed into them. Obviously this is a negotiation between the UK Government and the European Commission, and it is therefore right that the UK Government lead on that, but we have been the ones who have been engaging across businesses and civic society, as well as with the Executive politicians, and we will continue to do that and continue to encourage the EU to do that.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide a clear commitment on how Northern Ireland representatives would be involved in negotiations beyond stating they have engaged in meetings.

How: Hedging Language

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Q6 Jeffrey M. Donaldson DUP
Northern Ireland Brexit
Context

Concerns about the requirement for pet passports when travelling between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, especially given that certain diseases no longer exist in the UK.

Question

May I associate my colleagues with the comments made about the late Jo Cox and also pay tribute to our former leader and First Minister, Arlene Foster, for the sterling leadership that she provided to Northern Ireland during what has been a very difficult period for all of us? What progress has been made in the Secretary of State's discussions with the EU side to ensure that when people are travelling with their pets between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, in either direction, they are not required by the EU to carry so-called pet passports and incur the cost of having their pets vaccinated for a disease that has not existed in the United Kingdom for almost a century?

Answer from Brandon Lewis

In reflecting on the excellence of delivery that Arlene Foster had, I am going to learn a lesson that I am sure all Members here will be pleased about: I am going to avoid singing at any point this afternoon as I simply cannot live up to the talent that she showed on Friday. Pet travel from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is one of the critical issues that we have been discussing with the EU. We see no reason why part 1 listing could not be granted by the EU, and indeed it should be. We meet all the requirements for it, as the right hon. Gentleman has rightly outlined, and we have one of the most rigorous pet checking regimes in Europe to protect our biosecurity, so we will continue to push for a solution with the EU.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific progress or timeline on resolving the issue.

How: Diversionary Comment, Hedging Language

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Q7 Jeffrey M. Donaldson DUP
Northern Ireland Brexit
Context

Concerns about an EU-imposed ban on the sale of chilled meats from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, which could impact consumers' access to products.

Question

We hope it will go well beyond October and that this matter will be fully and completely resolved. Does the Secretary of State agree with the Prime Minister that it would be wrong for the EU to impose a ban on the sale of chilled meats, including sausages from Great Britain, to Northern Ireland? What action does he intend to take to prevent this from happening?

Answer from Brandon Lewis

I absolutely agree. Northern Ireland is an integral part of the United Kingdom and its consumers should be able to enjoy the products that they have bought from Great Britain for years. Any ban on chilled meats would, in fact, be contrary to the aims of the protocol itself and would be against the interests of the people of Northern Ireland. An urgent solution must be found so that Northern Ireland's consumers can continue to enjoy chilled meat products bought from Great Britain.

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Q8 Richard Thomson
Northern Ireland Brexit
Context

Concerns about the Secretary of State's commitments in discussions with Lord Frost and Maroš Šefčovič regarding the integrity of agreements, free flow of goods, trust-building, and potential trade deals.

Question

Mr Speaker, may I associate myself and my colleagues with your opening remarks, and those from both Front Benches, in paying tribute both to the legacy of Jo Cox and to the public service of the outgoing First Minister, Arlene Foster? In his discussions with Lord Frost and Maroš Šefčovič, to which of the following did the Secretary of State commit his Government? The integrity of the Good Friday agreement; the free flow of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland; building trust by working to implement what they agreed to in the protocol; or further standards-lowering trade deals, which could restrict the ability to agree a veterinary deal with the EU? Surely the Secretary of State must recognise that it cannot possibly be all four.

Answer from Brandon Lewis

I fundamentally disagree with the principle that the hon. Gentleman has just outlined. The reality is that the Good Friday/Belfast agreement—he has fallen into the trap that too many people fall into—has more than one strand. East-west is a vital strand, and we will continue to protect it. That is why it is important for people to recognise and understand that Northern Ireland is an integral part of the United Kingdom and should have the same rights and access to products as anywhere in the United Kingdom.

Not addressed: Did not specify which commitments were made, instead focusing on the importance of East-West strand.

How: Diversionary Comment

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Q9 Colum Eastwood Social Democratic & Labour Party Foyle
Northern Ireland
Context

The question was prompted by the day's focus on Jo Cox's family and discussions around the Northern Ireland protocol. There is concern about the impact of regulatory regimes on local producers, specifically mentioning sausages.

Question

I send my thoughts to Jo Cox's family today. With all the talk of sausages and the protocol, I hear very little from this Government on the benefits of the protocol for local producers. What is the Secretary of State doing to promote those benefits? Can he tell the people of Derry what exactly he and Lord Frost think is wrong with Doherty's sausages?

Answer from Brandon Lewis

The hon. Gentleman and I agree on a number of things, including the quality of sausages from across Northern Ireland. He makes a fair point that it should be a matter of consumer choice rather than regulatory command. The protocol causes disruption for businesses and consumers in Northern Ireland, affecting people's sense of identity in the Unionist community. We need to engage with people in Northern Ireland to understand these issues better.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific promotion of benefits for local producers and Lord Frost's view on Doherty's sausages were not addressed directly.

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