Lord Lilley (Con)

My Lords, first, it is entirely unacceptable that we have only two minutes to discuss this piece of legislation. Secondly, it is an outrage that the democratically elected Chamber has been given no opportunity at all to discuss it. Thirdly, it sets a dangerous precedent—or, rather, it perpetuates a dangerous habit—of using the Windsor Framework to extend to the rest of the UK the undemocratic subjugation of Northern Ireland to laws it has had no say in making. Fourthly, can the Minister confirm that, despite this measure aligning legislation in Great Britain with that of Northern Ireland, plants moving within the UK internal market between Northern Ireland and Great Britain will still face border controls and paperwork that they will not face when moving between England and Wales or Scotland and England? Fifthly, can the Minister confirm that there is no need for this measure, and still less for dynamic alignment with all EU SPS legislation, because we already have an SPS agreement covering ourselves and the EU? It is called the WTO SPS agreement, and it spells out in terms: “Members shall accept the sanitary or phytosanitary measures of other Members as equivalent, even if these measures differ from their own … if the … measures achieve the importing Member’s appropriate level of sanitary or phytosanitary protection”— which here is the case. Is the Minister even aware of that agreement? Sixthly, do the Government believe that the EU is exempt from any obligation to comply with international law, not just the WTO SPS agreement? Is not the EU’s insistence on maintaining a border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland contrary to the UN declaration on principles of international law, friendly relations and co-operation between states? That lays down: “Every State shall refrain from any action aimed at the partial or total disruption of the national unity and territorial integrity of any other State or country”. I await the Minister’s reply.