UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Keir Starmer confronts his first major Brexit test as unionists use the Stormont brake to object to EU laws, forcing the UK government to respond to Northern Ireland’s role in following Brexit agreements.
Unionists and independent members have come together to exercise their right to challenge new EU legislation on chemical labelling rules by invoking the Stormont brake, putting pressure on Britain to veto the law in Northern Ireland.
As reported by The Guardian, Katy Hayward, a political sociology professor at Queen’s University Belfast and a specialist on the Windsor framework said, “It will be a big test for the British government.”
She added that activating the brake would signal that EU changes could have lasting effects on Northern Ireland’s daily life, with such impacts only prevented by a minority of MLAs.
Ms Katy said, “On the other hand, to reject the request will be to directly contradict the stance of all unionist MLAs on the matter, which will further fan unionist narratives of betrayal.”
According to the rules, activating the Stormont brake requires 30 members from different parties within the legislative assembly.
With 25 MLAs, the Democratic Unionist Party has been backed in its effort to trigger the brake by eight Ulster Unionist MLAs, Jim Allister of the Traditional Unionist Voice party, and independent unionist Claire Sugden.
Gavin Robinson, the DUP chairman stated, “The DUP is focused on fully restoring Northern Ireland’s place in the United Kingdom and its internal market. We have made no secret of the fact that we will use the Stormont brake to full effect in the pursuit of our overall objectives.”
The Windsor framework, agreed by former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, mandates that EU trade laws apply to goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, provided they could reach the Republic of Ireland and the EU, unless the laws cause persistent harm to society.
The British Prime Minister is already under fire and facing criticism from MPs over decisions made since taking office.
Earlier this week, during a 90-minute question session, Sir Keir Starmer addressed concerns above changes to farmer’s inheritance tax, hikes in business taxes, and the reductions in winter fuel payment.
This month, he introduced six milestones as a “plan for change” in which one target is to enhance living standards.
During his first appearance before the liaison committee of parliamentarians since becoming PM, Sir Starmer stressed his continued focus on achieving faster growth for Britain than other G7 countries, such as the US, Germany, and Japan, by 2029.
Speaking at the liaison committee session, Sir Keir warned that Britain must avoid the “mistake” of assuming that a future Syrian government will necessarily be an improvement over the regime of ousted leader Bashar al-Assad.
The Prime Minister said initiating a deal with the EU on food safety regulations did not exclude the possibility of a future trade agreement with the US.
When inquired when people would see the fruit of his government’s strategies, he replied “It will take some time, of course it will.”
On Wednesday, the British prime minister spoke to Donal Trump on call and this month, Sir Keir’s chief of staff and national security adviser visited the US to meet the White House’s incoming administration.