Member

Some noble Lords may ask, given my views on the European Union, why I am not pleased that the Government are in a sense standing up to Brussels. It is not that simple. We should never have been placed in a position where the EU can interfere in the operation of British legislation in parts of the United Kingdom. It makes matters worse, not better, that we now have an arrangement in which the EU can object when it suits and look the other way when it suits. Northern Ireland is left to carry the risk, the cost and the uncertainty. It is an insult to Northern Ireland, our businesses, our traders, our people and United Kingdom law enforcement that key legislation affecting daily life is left for lawyers to argue over.