British government stops short of pledging action on NI Protocol in Queen’s Speech

The Government has stopped short of pledging to take action on the Northern Ireland Protocol in the Queen’s Speech (PA)

The British government has stopped short of pledging to take action on the Northern Ireland Protocol in the Queen’s Speech.

The speech contained a commitment to “take all steps necessary” to protect Northern Ireland’s place in the British internal market.

However there was an emphasis placed on talks with the EU to find a resolution.

The Queen’s Speech is written by the British government and sets out its agenda for Parliament’s new session.

The leader of the DUP subsequently reiterated that without “decisive action” on the protocol from Britain, he would not nominate ministers to a new Stormont executive.

Jeffrey Donaldson insisted that “words in themselves will not fix this problem”, adding that “until we see that decisive action we won’t be moving on the political institutions”.

“I want that to happen quickly; it must happen quickly. It’s in the interests of everyone that we get this sorted out, we find a resolution, and then we can move forward,” he told reporters.

The post-Brexit trading arrangements have seen additional checks on goods arriving into the region from Great Britain.

Unionists have fiercely opposed this as a border in the Irish Sea.

In a phone call with British prme minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday morning, Mr Donaldson emphasised he wants to see action on the protocol.

Sinn Féin Stormont leader Michelle O’Neill urged Mr Johnson that the public in Northern Ireland “can’t be a pawn in the British Government’s game of chicken with the EU”.

Mr Johnson also spoke on Tuesday morning to Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who urged against any unilateral action.

The Queen’s Speech acknowledged the stalemate at Stormont, adding the “protocol needs to change”.

In the speech read by Prince Charles in the absence of Queen Elizabeth, who is suffering from mobility issues, the EU was urged to work with the UK “with new imagination and flexibility”, to deliver that change.

Members of the House of Lords take their seats ahead of the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords, London (Alastair Grant/PA)

Britain has pledged to continue to talk to the EU, but said it will “not let that stand in the way of protecting peace and stability in Northern Ireland”.

It was pledged to “take the steps necessary to protect all dimensions of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and meet our obligations under the New Decade, New Approach Deal to protect Northern Ireland’s place in the UK internal market”.

Meanwhile there was also a commitment in the speech to make further regulations around access to abortion in Northern Ireland.

Abortion laws in the region were liberalised in 2019 following legislation passed by Westminster at a time when the powersharing government in the region had collapsed.

However, while individual health trusts have been offering services on an ad hoc basis, the Department of Health has yet to centrally commission the services.

Secretary of State Brandon Lewis previously announced his intention to act in the absence of movement at Stormont.

In the Queen’s Speech, Britain said it intends to make further regulations to ensure that women and girls have access to safe, high-quality abortion care in Northern Ireland.