Member

The noble Lord, Lord Dodds, also suggested that we had reneged on our commitment in Safeguarding the Union. We have been clear that we will deliver on the commitments made in the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper for the people of Northern Ireland. The statutory instrument will deliver on those commitments by ensuring that the Government can introduce “Not for EU” labelling where certain goods may be at risk of being removed from the Northern Ireland market. The policy diverges from the proposed approach set out in the Command Paper by empowering the Secretary of State to implement the GB labelling requirement as a contingency measure, where necessary, rather than on a mandatory basis. This is because we feel we need a more proportionate, evidence-driven approach to the issue of safeguarding the retail market in Northern Ireland.