The Government will always work in the best interests of the people of Northern Ireland and it was clear changes were necessary to fix parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which is why I welcome the Windsor Framework, to restore stability and ensure the delicate balance of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement is protected.

The Windsor Framework is a reasonable and practical solution to these problems and it will restore the balance of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement by fundamentally recasting arrangements in three key areas: restoring the smooth flow of trade within the UK internal market by removing the burdens that have disrupted East-West trade; safeguarding Northern Ireland's place in the Union by addressing practical problems affecting the availability of goods and medicines from Great Britain, and the ability of Northern Ireland to benefit from UK-wide tax and spend policies; and addressing the democratic deficit with the Stormont break, allowing the devolved Government to raise concerns about EU law and giving the UK Government the ability to veto its implementation. 

This Framework will end the untenable situation where people in Northern Ireland are treated differently to the rest of the United Kingdom, and protect the supremacy of our courts and our territorial integrity. It will also safeguard and protect the free flow of North-South trade, ensuring there continues to be no hard border on the island of Ireland.
 
The UK has engaged in over three years of negotiations with the EU on these issues and I am glad the UK and EU have concluded a deal under the Windsor Framework, marking a pivotal moment in UK-EU relations.

It is the duty of the Government of the United Kingdom to take the necessary steps to preserve stability and prosperity in Northern Ireland, and the Windsor Framework will support that.

The UK has set out the instruments of the Windsor Framework and this will be approved at the next meeting of the UK-EU Joint Committee, which is expected to take place in March. After that, the UK and EU will respectively take forward legislative measures to translate the solutions into law in both legal orders, providing the basis for these new arrangements to enter into force. 

The framework removes over 1700 pages of EU law governing Northern Ireland. Less than three per cent of EU law will still apply for the purpose of avoiding a hard border and protecting the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement. 

The UK and the EU are both firmly committed to a positive, constructive relationship as partners. It is in both our interests to resolve and move past concerns with the Protocol, to focus instead on our shared priorities in Europe and on the global stage.