Debate contribution: Windsor Framework

Debate contribution by Mr Peter Martin on 8 September 2025.

MLA

Mr Peter Martin

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

8 September 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Windsor Framework

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5068582

Read the official Assembly record

Text

The leader of the Opposition is not here. I cannot remember the exact phrase that he used, but "grow up" was perhaps it. The last time that I was told to grow up was maybe at school, but I am also pretty sure that my wife might have referred to that at some point during our marriage. I want to develop that a wee bit. I listened to the Member opposite, and I listened to the Member for Upper Bann. I have found a bit of the debate quite condescending. If the Members opposite brought a motion before the Assembly on something that they were passionate about, such as a united Ireland, for example, obviously, on this side, we would argue against that, but I do not think that we would demean the very nature of what they were bringing. The debate today has been demeaning. You may not agree with the issue that we are outlining with the framework. The Alliance Party might not agree, either. However, we are entitled to do so, because there are lots of people — not all people — whom we represent who care very passionately about the issue. It is their constitutional right to care about it. That is the tenor that has been outlined. Notwithstanding that, our party has been very clear and continues to be clear about the barriers to trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. They are unacceptable, and they undermine our internal market. I have no intention of repeating the points that were made by my colleague from East Belfast; instead, I will, for anyone who happens to be listening to today's debate, give some real-world examples of what this means and what the operation of the protocol means for our constituents. We are more than aware that, when we make an online purchase, perhaps on Amazon or eBay — other services are available — we see the dreaded pop-up that says, "Not for postage to Northern Ireland" or, "The seller will not post to Northern Ireland". That affects buying simple items. We also know that data from the Consumer Council supports that contention. In fact, even the recent ushering in of new arrangements around GPSR and business-to-business parcels is creating its own problems. Those consumer issues should be a concern to all of us.

I will indeed.

The Member should be a barrister. He asked a question to which he knows fine well the answer. I simply suggest to the Member that you perhaps need to come to people on these Benches if you want something done about this. Perhaps the feeling among businesses out there is that, if you go somewhere else, no one will care. It is a wee bit like this debate. The IOD has said that its members are experiencing greater levels of bureaucracy when doing business GB to NI and that it makes it more costly to do so. If it makes it more costly for business, it makes it more costly for the people whom we serve and for consumers. Another industry that will soon face problems, as my party colleague Carla Lockhart pointed out in Parliament last week, is the car industry. Northern Ireland is being placed in an impossible position. While the rest of the United Kingdom will operate its own approval-type system from 2026, Northern Ireland will remain bound by EU rules. The result is that cars approved for sale in GB may not be registered here in Northern Ireland. It will mean less choice for families who need to buy a car, higher prices for consumers who are already under pressure and job losses in an industry that sustains over 17,000 individuals and generates £3 billion a year in our economy. I would have thought that those are things that we would be concerned about. In fact, the leader of the Opposition raised the cost-of-living crisis, but he is not even here to listen to this speech. In Committee last year, we heard about EU proposals that could see treatments for conditions such as cold sores and dandruff become prescription-only medicines. If adopted, that would place serious pressure on the Department of Health, GPs and pharmacies and also see serious delays for consumers who wish to purchase medicines. On the Committee, we are waiting to see what the EU does, as we frequently do, before deciding how we will respond. As a key component of the motion, we are asking for the Government to listen to the concerns of businesses here and in GB and to protect consumers and the integrity of our internal market. The remaining challenges cannot be addressed through improvements to the operational framework. No degree of tinkering can remove the overarching need to restore the democratic right of the people of Northern Ireland to make and change their own laws. My party will continue to work to secure the removal of the framework arrangements and will campaign with all those across the United Kingdom who are determined to see the end of the internal borders and barriers within our own country. Mr Speaker — sorry, Mr Deputy Speaker; I promoted you there — I ask Members to support the motion.

867 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:02 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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