Resetting the UK-EU Relationship (European Affairs Committee Report)

Lord Murphy of Torfaen Excerpts

Thursday 26th February 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Murphy of Torfaen (Lab)]

My Lords, I very much welcome the report of the committee, very ably introduced by the noble Lord, Lord Ricketts. I particularly welcome the aspects on Erasmus, electricity and, of course, defence and security.

I want to make some reference in my brief remarks—to follow the noble Lords, Lord Empey and Lord Dodds—to Northern Ireland, and to remind your Lordships’ House that the protocol developed after Brexit was very badly negotiated. It led eventually to the complete destruction of the Assembly and the Executive in Northern Ireland because of the differences of views. After that, of course, it was succeeded by the Windsor Framework, which was definitely an improvement, but it still did not satisfy everybody in Northern Ireland because it is very difficult, constitutionally, for unionism to accept what the noble Lord, Lord Empey, has just referred to. Nationalists, however, took a different view; indeed, there was a majority in favour of staying in the European Union when the referendum was held. However, the difficulties have to be addressed.

Last year the Government asked me to review the Windsor Framework, which I did: I came up with 16 or 17 recommendations to try to improve its working, because there is no doubt that the burdens placed on Northern Ireland businesses, large, medium and small, are huge. Those recommendations included one regarding SPS. I know the constitutional question is different from the practical issues I was trying to address, and that is perhaps for another time, important as that constitutional issue is. However, businesses said to me that they regarded the SPS as extremely important in trying to ensure that the burdens they currently face would be removed.

My plea to the Government and my noble friend the Minister is that they act speedily on the recommendations I made, which have all been accepted by the Government. I hope, too, that the European Union will be speedy in the negotiations. I have enormous confidence in my right honourable friend the Paymaster-General, Nick Thomas-Symonds, not least because he succeeded me as the Member of Parliament for Torfaen.