Windsor Framework structures are 'ineffective, opaque and overly bureaucratic' says DUP leader Gavin Robinson

The structures of the Windsor Framework are “ineffective, opaque and overly bureaucratic”, DUP leader Gavin Robinson has told peers.

Mr Robinson said that the post-Brexit trading deal could never be effective until fundamental issues around lack of consent from unionists are addressed.

placeholder image — The front page of The Windsor Framework policy paper published by the UK government, following the announcement that European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have struck a deal over the Northern Ireland Protocol. Picture date: Monday February 27, 2023.

The SDLP’s Stormont leader Matthew O’Toole said while he supported the framework, he believed there needed to be improvements in how Northern Ireland voices were heard within its structures.

The House of Lords Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee has been holding evidence sessions examining the operation of the framework.

Unionists remain opposed to the deal, because it creates a new regulatory border within the United Kingdom and because Northern Ireland continues to follow some EU laws relating to goods.

During his appearance before the committee, Mr Robinson said he didn’t have a lot of faith in the current arrangements.

“The structures around the Windsor Framework, though they may have evolved, are ineffective, opaque and overly bureaucratic. They frustrate the ability for ordinary, routine and at times complex and serious engagement to either satisfy, resolve or ameliorate some of the harmful impositions that Northern Ireland finds itself in under these arrangements”.