GB-NI trade democratic consent vote held at Stormont

The Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont has held a significant vote on the part of the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement that applies to trading and customs arrangements for Northern Ireland; widely referred to as the Windsor Framework.

Specifically, last night's “democratic consent mechanism” vote was held to determine whether the current arrangements for the movement of goods between Great Britain into Northern Ireland will continue to operate.
After a long debate, the vote passed, and the result means that current arrangements will continue to apply for another four years - unless the Government negotiates alternative arrangements.

As a result of the debate, an independent review of the Windsor Framework and its impact on GB-NI trade will now be commissioned by the UK Government. This independent review will consult businesses, civil society groups and industry representative bodies and the panel will make recommendations on any alternative arrangements it believes could improve trading conditions.

Commenting on this, RHA Managing Director Richard Smith said:

"Road freight is critical to successful trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland and an efficient GB-NI supply chain is crucial to our economy. There however remains much concern in our industry about some of the administrative hurdles and delays businesses face when trading GB-NI or NI-GB. A number of questions remain unanswered too about GPSR rules which come into effect later this week.

"We'll continue to be a voice for our members and seek clarity on their behalf by engaging with the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive. We want to work collaboratively with decision-makers to minimise the impact of regulations, and to find durable solutions which will maintain supply chains and protect the free circulation of goods throughout the UK.

"On behalf of our sector, we look forward to contributing our views on the way ahead when the independent review of the Windsor Framework is established."