Ian Paisley confirms vote against Windsor Framework in Commons this week, and expects DUP colleagues to do likewise

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is seeking parliamentary approval for the so-called ‘Stormont brake’ mechanism which would allow MLAs at Stormont to flag up concerns over the imposition of EU laws in Northern Ireland, which in turn could ultimately lead to the UK Government vetoing some EU legislation. Mr Paisley did not confirm a Sunday Telegraph story that DUP MPs would vote against, but said: "I am categorically voting against, and I would be surprised if my colleagues do not join me."

He said: "My initial reaction to the Windsor Framework was that I didn’t think it cut the mustard in terms of addressing our seven key tests. After taking time to study it and a least one legal opinion on it, and going through the details, and also having conversations and messages back and forward to the Secretary of State, I am still of that opinion – that it doesn’t address any of our seven tests. It is the old substance dressed up in a new package with a ribbon around it, but it hasn’t actually changed, or addressed the fundamental issue of Northern Ireland trade being disrupted in our internal UK market.”

Meanwhile, an influential Caroline Bell Eurosceptic blog has accused the government of “grossly misrepresenting" the new post-Brexit trading arrangements. However, on a recent visit to Northern Ireland, Mr Sunak told business and political leaders that the deal would put Northern Ireland in the "unbelievably special position in having privileged access, not just to the UK home market but also the European Union single market".

Speaking ahead of a Commons debate on Wednesday – when MPs will vote on a mechanism that would allow MLAs to flag up concerns over the imposition of new EU laws in Northern Ireland – the North Antrim DUP representative said such a measure falls well short of addressing major concerns around the post-Brexit trading arrangements.

The so-called ‘Stormont brake’ mechanism could, if approved, ultimately lead to the UK government vetoing the introduction of some EU legislation. Details of how the brake will operate are due to be outlined in the secondary legislation, which the government has said will be published today. ​The Stormont brake is an element of the Windsor Framework that was agreed between the UK and EU in a effort to address the difficulties being caused by the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Mr Paisley said many restrictions on internal trade will continue to operate, causing “considerable cost and a headache” for consumers and businesses alike. "Whilst we would like to see this matter being resolved, and we recognise that people now see it has caused problems, we need to take the bigger step of the government actually solving those problems. So the vote on Wednesday will really be, in my view, an opportunity for us to say there is a marker in the ground and that this hasn’t gone far enough,” he told the News Letter.

Asked what is likely to happen if the current deal is as good as it gets, Mr Paisley said: “I have always taken the view that the government was always going to implement this change anyway. They implemented the protocol over all of our heads. Every single party from Northern Ireland at Westminster voted against the protocol when it was put to us, so the government is intent on doing this, therefore we must use the leverage that we have to continue to press for more change. We have heard for two and a half years that you won’t get any changes. Well, they have conceded that they can change things, now let’s get better changes and let’s keep the pressure on. You don’t half plough a field – you plough it all.”

The Sunday Telegraph has quoted a senior DUP source as saying all of the party’s MPs are likely to vote against the deal agreed between Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the EU. ​“I would fully expect that we will be voting against that statutory instrument,” due to “fundamental issues still outstanding,” the source is quoted as saying in the newspaper report.

​Responding to the report, a DUP spokesman said: “Unionism rejected the NI Protocol from day one. It took others time to realise and recognise our objections. Whilst the Windsor Framework goes some way in addressing our concerns, there is still more work to do. The Windsor Framework does not deal with some of the fundamental problems at the heart of our current difficulties. The government has framed this debate on Wednesday as an overall endorsement of the Framework. It is our current assessment that there remain key areas of concern which require further clarification, re-working and change as well as seeing further legal text.

“We will continue our engagement with the government and urge the PM to take the time to get this right rather than rushing through a deal that doesn’t address all the core issues.”​