UK government commissions state funded abortion services in Northern Ireland

Having previously decriminalisd abortion in 2019, during a prior period when the Northern Ireland Assembly was not sitting, the UK government has now commissioned state funded abortion services in Northern Ireland. Up until now, those women who were over ten weeks pregnant and who therefore were unable to access abortion-inducing pills, have been travelling to […]

Ellis to EU: ‘Our door remains open’ on NI protocol

This afternoon, MPs are debating clauses 7, 8 and 9 of a revised Northern Ireland protocol following “practical problems” caused by the initial deal between the UK and the EU. Ellis emphasised that the government wants a negotiated deal with the European Union, telling the EU “our door remains open”. The paymaster general told the […]

Truss rejects claims new NI protocol bill ‘breaks international law’

During foreign questions, secretary of state Liz Truss rejected shadow secretary David Lammy’s claim that the new protocol bill for Northern Ireland “breaks international law”. Lammy criticised the move which ”divides the UK and European Union when we should be pulling together”. Truss told MPs that nothing said by Lammy “is accurate”, and that the […]

EU take legal action over UK’s Northern Ireland plans

The European Union is set to take fresh legal action over UK’s plans to give ministers the power to scrap parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol. Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission’s vice president of has said the plans will “break international law”. Speaking to a press conference in Brussels, he said: “There is no legal, […]

Johnson denies Northern Ireland plans breach international law

The prime minister has rejected claims the government’s plans to unilaterally suspend parts of the Northern Ireland protocol could breach international law. His remarks come ahead of today’s anticipated publication of the government’s Northern Ireland protocol bill. The draft legislation plans to allow UK ministers to scrap parts of the region’s post-Brexit arrangements.  The protocol […]

Northern Ireland’s protocol isn’t perfect—but Truss overplays the concerns

With all the noise and fury they create around the Northern Ireland Protocol, it would be easy to forget that the UK government negotiated and signed it, and that it was also chosen by the DUP, by process of elimination after they voted against all other Brexit solutions. Both parties are performing incredible twists in […]

Cleverly insists government actions on NI protocol are ‘lawful’

Following an urgent question on whether the government have taken the appropriate steps to ensure their position on the Northern Ireland protocol, foreign minister James Cleverly insisted that government “actions are lawful”.  This follows media reports that a government advisor was told “not to give an opinion on whether the plan would breach international law”. […]

Protocol undermines Northern Ireland’s right to self-government

While there has been some appreciation of the difficulties caused by the Protocol that the EU has seen fit to impose upon Northern Ireland as part of Brexit, the extent of the difficulties has been, and continues to be, massively under-estimated. One clear example of this tendency is provided by the Sub Committee on the […]

EU’s approach ‘unacceptable’ says minister ahead of fresh protocol plans

Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis has slammed the EU’s approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol as “not acceptable” ahead of alleged plans to suspend parts of the deal. Speaking with Sky News the minister explained: “We have always said that we hold nothing off the table, we keep everything on the table to make sure […]

PM preps for protocol changes ahead of Belfast talks

Prime minister Boris Johnson is set to attend crunch talks in Belfast today ahead of plans to scrap swathes of the Northern Ireland Protocol. Delivering a “tough message” in private meetings on his first visit to Belfast since the Assembly elections, Johnson is expected say that – while the UK government will “play its part […]