Alex Burghart: Government must get on with the business of implementing Safeguarding the Union

It was intended not just to assist in the removal of administrative obstacles, but also to provide new, concrete proposals to protect fully Northern Ireland’s place in the Union and the UK internal market.

The Command Paper promised to ensure the smooth flow of Great Britain to Northern Ireland trade, guarantee unfettered access for Northern Ireland goods to the rest of the UK, enshrine the primacy of UK internal market rules in key areas, and strengthen the Stormont brake.

Together, these commitments were intended to translate into lower costs and more reliable supply chains for local manufacturers, retailers and logistics providers.

Equally significant was to be the establishment of new economic institutions. The creation of the UK East‑West Council and Intertrade UK was a calculated move to foster closer economic ties between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.

These bodies were designed to cut through the red tape that had hindered intra‑UK commerce, and provide local businesses with access to shared resources, expertise and investment opportunities.

The paper sought regulatory clarity. By introducing statutory guidance for public authorities, it ensured that policies affecting our internal market would consistently prioritise Northern Ireland’s interests.

With these measures in place, companies could confidently invest in growth and innovation, knowing that their operations would not be derailed by sudden policy shifts from Brussels.

Yet, despite the secretary of state’s warm words, after seven months in power, the Labour government has allowed key aspects of the agenda to languish.

Critical initiatives - such as the full operationalisation of the East‑West Council and the launch of Intertrade UK - remain unimplemented. The statutory guidance that promised to deliver regulatory clarity has been delayed, leaving many businesses to navigate a patchwork of outdated protocols.

Likewise, the requirement for the introduction of mandatory Great Britain-wide ‘not for EU’ labelling has been dumped. Moreover, the government is meant to have published a series of papers that make the case, through sectoral analysis, for Northern Ireland’s place in the Union and ways in which to take it forward.

All this lies undone. Much else lies likewise.

I opposed the government’s decision to establish a public inquiry into the murder of Patrick Finucane on the grounds that it could be handled by the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery as the government intended other families’ cases to be.

The government determined to go ahead but promised it would take steps to ensure the inquiry was done quickly and cost effectively. That was in September. To date, no judge has been appointed, no terms of reference published.

Similarly, the government said in its manifesto in June that it would repeal and replace the Legacy Act. We still await its alternative.

The promise of the Command Paper was to improve upon the Windsor Framework, assuring Northern Ireland’s economic and constitutional place within the Union. The outstanding issues must be dealt with.

Safeguarding the Union was part of the agreement that helped Stormont to return. The Labour government has a duty to implement in full the steps set out last year - steps their party supported at the time. Anything less is a breach of trust.

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l Alex Burghart is shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland