View: 'Windsor Framework should be a bridge, not a barrier, to growth and trade'

Entitled ‘Strengthening Northern Ireland’s Voice in the Context of the Windsor Framework’, it marks another important step in the ongoing assessment of how the Framework is working, or indeed, not working, for some businesses in Northern Ireland.

I welcome the publication of this report and the thoughtful approach that Lord Carlile and his Committee colleagues took to engage with businesses on the ground. Their efforts to hear directly from the business community, both in Northern Ireland and Westminster, deserve real credit. It is clear from their findings that they have listened carefully to what businesses are saying.

FSB NI was pleased to contribute evidence to this inquiry, and we strongly concur with the Committee’s recommendations. Many of these echo the findings of our own ‘Windsor Framework Realities’ report, published in June, which reflected extensive engagement with small firms across Northern Ireland and the wider UK. Both reports reach a similar conclusion: the Windsor Framework, while intended to ease trade barriers and restore stability, is not operating as envisaged.

For anyone still unsure about the complexity that small businesses face in trying to navigate the Framework, Figure 1 of the Lords Committee’s report says it all. The so-called “labyrinthine structure” outlined there illustrates how unnecessarily convoluted and opaque the current arrangements have become. Businesses are crying out for clarity, consistency, and simplicity.

That’s why FSB wholeheartedly supports the Committee’s call for a more streamlined and accessible governance structure, the creation of a “one-stop shop” for information and guidance, and a revamp of the Trader Support Service to make it fit for purpose. Small firms do not have the resources to hire teams of customs or legal experts. They need a system that enables them to trade confidently and compliantly without disproportionate bureaucracy.

The publication of the Lords Committee’s report follows a clear pattern. In June came FSB’s Windsor Framework Realities report. In September, Lord Murphy’s Independent Review published its report. And now, in October, this first report from the House of Lords NI Scrutiny Committee. Each, in turn, paints a consistent picture, one of ongoing challenges, operational confusion, and barriers to trade. Collectively, they form a drum beat highlighting mounting evidence that the Windsor Framework, in its current form, is not working as intended.

This growing body of analysis must serve as a wake-up call to the UK Government. Small businesses need action - not in 2027 when a future SPS (Sanitary and Phytosanitary) Agreement might be reached, but now. Delays in addressing these issues risk further undermining business confidence and discouraging investment. We must not allow uncertainty and complexity to become the new normal for Northern Ireland’s trading environment.

FSB has engaged widely across both Westminster and Stormont, speaking to politicians on all sides who recognise the scale of the problem. What is now required is for Government to do the same: to acknowledge the difficulties, listen to the evidence, and work collaboratively with business to find solutions. The Framework should be a bridge, not a barrier, to growth and trade.

While many firms have adapted well and invested heavily in compliance measures, others, particularly smaller businesses, continue to face disproportionate burdens. That need not be the case. FSB’s report sets out a series of practical, common-sense recommendations that could deliver real improvements. By simplifying processes, improving communication, and ensuring that future decisions reflect the lived experience of businesses, we can make the Framework work better for everyone.

Northern Ireland’s unique dual market access offers genuine opportunities. The UK Government must now seize this moment to reset, simplify, and deliver on the promise of stability and prosperity that the Windsor Framework was meant to provide.

Only when Government recognises and faces up to the problems can we begin to work together to solve them.