SDLP to support Windsor Framework

SDLP MPs will vote for a statutory instrument in the House of Commons presented as a vote on the overall 'Windsor Framework' package.

The vote will take place on Wednesday afternoon in Westminster. 

On 27 February, 2023, the EU and Britain announced the new ‘Windsor Framework’ which would make changes to the Protocol.

Originally, the Protocol was agreed as part of the UK–EU Withdrawal Agreement that formally took Britain out of the EU. Its purpose was to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland, by requiring the North of Ireland to align with EU law in some areas, and allowing it to maintain frictionless access to the EU. However, it also meant that goods entering the North of Ireland from  Britain needed to prove they complied with EU law in these areas, creating the need for checks and paperwork

The SDLP said it had raised serious concerns about elements of the deal and the impact it might have on the investment prospectus provided by unique access to the EU single market and the UK internal market.

The party decided, however, that the balance of the deal which creates a clear path toward the restoration of devolution should be supported in the interests of people, communities and businesses in Northern Ireland.

Speaking ahead of a vote this afternoon, Colum Eastwood MP said: "The SDLP has taken time to consider the terms of the Windsor Framework, the balance it strikes between Assembly scrutiny and the potential for abusive veto, but more importantly the impact of the new arrangements on the unique economic benefits offered by dual market access.

“We continue to have serious concerns about the operation of the Stormont Brake and we will be vigilant about its implementation, including the clear limits on the operation of a veto over amended internal market law.

“But overall the Windsor Framework provides a clear path back to devolved government in Northern Ireland. With cuts to our schools and youth services, hospital waiting lists out of control, GP surgeries closing across the North and public sector workers desperately in need of a pay rise, there are more important priorities that we must address. The question now is not whether the DUP has got enough out of this deal – it’s whether people in every town and city in Northern Ireland have had enough of division and deadlock.

“We now have a unique investment proposition for people in Northern Ireland but it first requires an investment of political courage.”