Baroness Hoey tables amendment to 'Humble Address' in House of Lords

Baroness Hoey said: "I have tabled this amendment to give members the opportunity to put on the record their acknowledgment of the truth and legal reality. We are being asked to endorse a motion which talks of upholding the Belfast Agreement, but we are all supposed to pretend cross community consent isn’t still disapplied, and of the importance of the Acts of Union, which remain suspended by the Protocol.

“I’m not prepared to put my name to this con trick and nor should any unionist. My amendment provides the opportunity for of all those who refuse to go along with pretending black is white to have their principled stand recorded on the Parliamentary record.

“Put simply: it is a means by which members can stand behind the truth and legal reality, and in regards the conjuring trick, say ‘not in my name’.

Lord Caine brought a motion in the House of Lords that a “Humble Address be presented to His Majesty welcoming the return of the devolved institutions in Northern Ireland, re-affirming the importance of upholding the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement 1998 in all its strands, acknowledging the foundational importance of the Acts of Union 1800, including the economic provisions under Article 6 of those Acts, and recognising that, consistent with section 23(1) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, executive power in Northern Ireland shall continue to be vested in His Majesty, and that joint authority is not provided for in the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement 1998 in respect of the UK and Irish Governments”.

The former Labour MP has tabled an amendment to insert the following words: “but regrets that, in a manner inconsistent with Strand One (5)(d) of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and section 42 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, cross-community consent remains disapplied for the Article 18 procedure, as it relates to Articles 5 to 10 of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, and further regrets that the continuing effect of the Protocol is to over-ride and suspend the provisions of Article 6 of the Acts of Union 1800”.

It is unclear whether any DUP peers will back the motion.