{"id":17213,"date":"2021-05-18T12:37:33","date_gmt":"2021-05-18T12:37:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/?p=17213"},"modified":"2022-03-23T14:08:55","modified_gmt":"2022-03-23T14:08:55","slug":"can-45-ni-assembly-members-vote-together-to-revoke-and-remove-the-northern-ireland-protocol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/economy\/can-45-ni-assembly-members-vote-together-to-revoke-and-remove-the-northern-ireland-protocol\/","title":{"rendered":"Can 45 NI Assembly members vote together to revoke and remove the Northern Ireland Protocol?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Assembly cannot simply vote and \u201cthe Protocol goes\u201d. By December 2024, the Assembly will vote on whether to continue with or withdraw consent for Articles 5\u201310 of the Protocol (but not the whole Protocol).<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Contex<\/b>t<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the 17 May 2021 edition of BBC Radio Ulster\u2019s The Nolan Show<\/a> (starts 06:44), the presenter Stephen Nolan asked DUP MLA Christopher Stalford:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat is the Poot’s statement of intent? Because I’m seeing that mixed messaging from the government as well. So that’s why the question, what is the Poots\/DUP policy on this? Are you going to tolerate the government, trying to tweak it, trying to change it, or from day one are you not going to cooperate with it at all?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of his response, Stalford stated (07:38):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are basically three ways in which I can see the protocol being abolished. One is that the prime minister has a change of heart on the issue… Two, the legal challenge that has been launched succeeds, and I sincerely hope that it will. But if it doesn’t, then the third way in the law is to have 45 Unionists elected to Stormont. and if 45 members of the Assembly vote to revoke the protocol, then the protocol goes.<\/b> And that\u2019s where coming into the next Assembly election, I think that it\u2019s important that unionists are working together and cooperating in order to achieve that number.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the Protocol? <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During Brexit negotiations, the UK and the EU agreed to prioritise<\/a> the Belfast\/Good Friday Agreement<\/a>. The focus was on keeping the land border between the Republic of Ireland (in the European Union) and Northern Ireland (in the UK) open and avoiding any new infrastructure along the border on the island of Ireland. However, after Brexit<\/a>, a new arrangement was needed, to enable an all-island economy functioning within the EU Single Market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, the EU and the UK negotiated the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland<\/a> (summary<\/a>), which came into force on 1 January 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Article 1(iii)<\/a> of the Protocol, it sets out arrangements necessary to meet the shared objectives of the UK and the EU:<\/p>\n\n\n\n