In collaboration with Government of Ukraine, UNICEF and the World Bank, £25m of UK funding will support an inclusive and sustainable social recovery in Ukraine
The SPIRIT programme (Social Protection for Inclusion, Resilience, Innovation and Transformation) will support Ukraine to strengthen more inclusive and efficient social protection systems and revitalise community and family-based services.
SPIRIT will support the Foreign Secretary’s priority to ensure a safe and loving family for every child, improving social care services for 10,000 families across 10 regions
The programme will help Ukraine lay foundations for a recovery that meets the needs of citizens in all their diversity including people with disabilities, veterans and other war-impacted groups.
The UK will invest £25 million to strengthen Ukraine’s social protection system and services to support an inclusive and barrier-free recovery. The funding announced during the visit of the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy to Kyiv will catalyse Ukraine’s ambition for reform of the social sphere.
This support will help Ukraine to meet the varied needs of the population and accelerate Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic pathway. The UK will partner with UNICEF Ukraine and the World Bank to deliver SPIRIT, working closely with the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, the European Union and key partners in the social sector.
The SPIRIT programme recognises that investing in people – and the support and services they need – will be critical for Ukraine’s long-term recovery and socio-economic future.
Russia’s full-scale invasion has had an immense and devastating human impact in Ukraine. This has been disproportionately felt by the most vulnerable and war-impacted groups, including women, children and families, people with disabilities, older people, veterans, and those in frontline areas.
The programme will support Government of Ukraine in their social reform agenda, bringing together Ministries and local government, international financial organisations, donors, civil society, academia, and private sector.
Following the signing of the ‘Social Recovery and Inclusion Partnership for Ukraine’ by the UK, the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, the European Union, UNICEF and the World Bank at the Berlin Ukraine Recovery Conference 2024, SPIRIT demonstrates commitment of the UK government and partners to support Ukraine’s socio-economic future and further our collaboration.
The SPIRIT programme has three main priorities:
Improving access to high-quality community and family-based social services for at least 10,000 families with children across 10 regions. In cooperation with the Ministry of Social Policy, we will deliver small grants and capacity-building to 100 civil society and local community actors to enable them to provide social services, while building a local marketplace of accessible service providers and empowering local actors to meet the growing demand for social protection support.
Establishing a Social Recovery Office with the Ministry of Social Policy to drive reforms, improve coordination in the sector, and enhance collaboration with international financial institutions and development partners. The Social Recovery Office will help Ukraine respond to pressing demographic challenges, meet the needs of the most vulnerable, and support development of a more robust and inclusive social protection framework.
Launching a range of cross-sectoral initiatives that support social recovery and inclusion priorities in Ukraine. Projects will work across health, economic and social sectors, piloting new models of support and services to cater for the most vulnerable and war-impacted groups. This includes women, families with children, people with disabilities, older people, and veterans. These initiatives will foster human capital, enable inclusive reforms and build the institutional capacity needed for Ukraine to address the demographic, economic, and societal changes driven by the war.
Working with the Government of Ukraine and UNICEF, SPIRIT includes a specific focus on accelerating ‘Better Care Reform’ to strengthen families, prevent separation, and ensure a safe and loving family environment for all Ukrainian children.
The British Ambassador to Ukraine, Martin Harris said: “I am proud that the UK is announcing critical funding for Ukraine’s social recovery.
“The £25m contribution will strengthen Ukraine’s social systems and services that are under overwhelming pressure from Russia’s brutal invasion. Investing in Ukraine’s social systems is an investment in Ukraine’s people – and we know that Ukraine’s people are its greatest resource.
“SPIRIT is a testament to 100 Year Partnership and shared values between our two countries, including our commitment to meet the needs of women, children, people with disabilities, older people, veterans, and marginalised groups.
“In the very worst of circumstances, Ukraine is pursuing an ambitious reform agenda to build a brighter, fairer and ‘barrier-free’ society. In partnership with the Government of Ukraine, UNICEF and the World Bank, the SPIRIT programme will drive forward this vision and lay the foundations for a future where the well-being, dignity and potential of every Ukrainian is ensured.”
Oksana Zholnovych, Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine outlined: “Human capital development is at the centre of Ukraine’s recovery.
“The SPIRIT programme represents a crucial step in building institutional capacity, strengthening the social protection system and supporting critical reforms to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and inclusion.
“We are grateful to our partners, the FCDO, World Bank, and UNICEF, for their support and shared commitment to fostering social cohesion, leaving no one behind.
Munir Mammadzade, UNICEF Representative to Ukraine indicates: “The SPIRIT programme is a critical investment in protecting and improving the lives of the most vulnerable, especially children and families in need across Ukraine.
“This initiative will further strengthen national systems and community-based services to nurture and maximize the country’s most important resource, its human capital, to drive inclusive and prosperous growth.”
Bob Saum, World Bank Regional Country Director for Eastern Europe added: “Addressing social cohesion and inclusion, including meeting the needs of vulnerable populations will contribute to maximizing benefits of Ukraine’s post-war recovery economic growth.
“The SPIRIT program will help build institutional capacity to support veterans, people with disabilities, and other at-risk groups while advancing Ukraine’s EU integration goals.”
New figures show possible cost of increased trade barriers
Analysis published yesterday by the Office of the Chief Economic Advisor has estimated Brexit trade barriers could impact Scotland’s economy by £4 billion.
This estimated economic cost is from the reduction in trade alone – not counting changes to productivity, investment or migration.
Business Minister Richard Lochhead said the report demonstrated the urgent need to reverse the damage of Brexit to boost living standards and revenue for the NHS.
According to the Trade Modelling Report, Scottish exports could be lower by 7.2% or £3 billion compared to continued EU membership.
The chemical and pharmaceutical sector is estimated to be one of the hardest hit by post-Brexit trade barriers, with an estimated 9.1% reduction in output, followed by the computer and electronics sector with an estimated 7.7% fall. The 4.9% output drop estimated for the agrifood sector represents a loss of £827 million.
Business Minister Richard Lochhead said: “On the eve of the fifth anniversary of Brexit, these new figures highlight the urgent need to change course to boost the economy and increase public revenue for the NHS.
“This is the latest in a long line of studies highlighting how badly Brexit continues to impact Scotland and should cause the UK Government to consider its approach to economic growth.
“The Scottish Government has been clear that Scotland’s place is in the EU and the huge European single market. But we are also a voice for greater co-operation with the EU right now and we urge the new UK Government to forge a much closer relationship with our fellow Europeans.”
Rachel Reeves calls for business-like relationship with the EU to drive more trade, support businesses and boost economic growth that benefits working people
Chancellor to put making working people better off at the heart of economic reset with the EU
Reeves to be the first UK Chancellor to address EU finance ministers since the UK left the EU
Making working people better off must be the aim of our economic reset with the EU, Chancellor Rachel Reeves will tell a meeting of finance ministers in Brussels today.
Reeves becomes the first UK Chancellor to attend a meeting of EU finance ministers since the UK left the EU – a clear signal of the UK Government’s commitment to reset the relationship with the EU and realise the economic potential of our shared future.
In her speech, the Chancellor will set out that part of the government’s mission to drive economic growth and make working people better off, a central part of our Plan for Change, will be achieved through a closer relationship with the European Union.
She will talk to three key areas of the UK-EU relationship: tackling shared challenges, including the war in Ukraine; championing free trade as a driver of economic competitiveness; and strengthening bilateral economic partnerships.
She will go on to say that by taking these on together, we can have a meaningful impact on putting more money in people’s pockets through lower prices and better jobs through increased investment.
Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer, will say:“This is the first time a British Chancellor has addressed the Eurogroup since Brexit.And there could be no more important moment to do so, than now.
“It is a signal of the new UK Government’s commitment to resetting our country’s relationship with the European Union; and the importance I place in realising the economic potential of our shared future.”
She will add:“I know that the last few years have been fractious. Division and chaos defined the last government’s approach to Europe. It will not define ours.
“We want a relationship built on trust, mutual respect, and pragmatism. A mature, business-like relationship where we can put behind us the low ambitions of the past and move forward, focused instead on all that we have in common.
“And all that we might achieve together to keep our countries safe, secure and prosperous.”
On strengthening economic ties, she will say:“I believe that a closer economic relationship between the UK and the EU is not a zero-sum game. It’s about improving both our growth prospects.
“The reset in relations is about doing what is the best interests of our shared economies and those that depend on it.
“That means breaking down barriers to trade, creating opportunities to invest and helping our businesses sell in each other’s markets.
“That’s why I’m here today; that’s what our reset seeks to achieve.”
Ms. Reeves will also underscore the importance of the UK and EU’s unwavering support for Ukraine over 1,000 days since Russia’s invasion, delivered most recently through a G7 loan of $50bn backed by the extraordinary profits on immobilized Russian sovereign assets. She will say that Ukraine’s national security ensures the UK and Europe’s national security too.
While in Brussels, the Chancellor will also attend a series of bilateral meetings with European counterparts. International economic partnerships are a crucial part of the government’s number one mission to grow the economy and make every part of the UK better off.
There will no return to the single market, the customs union, or freedom of movement. But, following their meeting on 2 October, the Prime Minister and President of the European Commission Ursula von de Leyen agreed to strengthen the UK-EU relationship and put it on a more solid, stable footing.
The EU reset feeds directly into the government’s Plan for Change to be achieved via its five missions – one of which is growth. The reset will help contribute to the government’s ambitions to grow the economy, invest to create an NHS fit for the future and tackle irregular migration.
The UK and the EU share the world’s second largest trading relationship, facilitating over £660 billion (€750 billion) in trade each year. The UK and EU countries together also comprise 24 of NATO’s 32 allies, united in a commitment to collective security.
The government will publish a Trade Strategy in 2025, renewing the government’s commitment to free and open trade.
It will support the government’s Industrial Strategy and Net Zero ambitions and enhance economic security. As part of this, the government will work with the EU to identify areas where the government can strengthen cooperation for mutual benefit, including the economy, energy, security and resilience.
Global partnerships are crucial to the UK government, with direct benefit to the domestic economy – the International Investment Summit held in October secured a record breaking £63 billion of investment and nearly 38,000 jobs are set to be created across the UK as a result.
Today’s Eurogroup attendance comes after Reeves’ speech at Mansion House in November, where she set out that advocating free and open trade especially with economically important partners was in the UK’s national interest. Reeves’ visit to Brussels comes ahead of her next international visit, which will be to Beijing in the new year.
Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce said:“If our economy is to grow then we must export more. That’s why we urgently need a better trading relationship with our closest and biggest market, the European Union. The current arrangement isn’t working for our members.
“Right now, UK firms wanting to trade with Europe are struggling under huge regulatory and paperwork burdens.
“Businesses will be encouraged to hear the Chancellor talking about a reset in our relationship with the EU which genuinely breaks down barriers to trade.
“A better deal can’t come soon enough for UK exporters. It’s vital that talks move at pace in the coming months to make life easier for businesses to thrive.”
In an online event, two former Members of the European Parliament (MEP) will debate whether Scottish independence or remaining in the UK is the best route to seeing Scotland regain its EU membership.
Entitled “Common Ground” the discussion, between former Labour MEP David Martin and Alyn Smith, who was an SNP MEP, will see the politicians analyse how best to achieve Scotland’s return to the EU. They will also talk about the importance of cross-party working and why each believes their own preferred constitutional route is best for the country.
In the 2016 referendum that resulted in the UK leaving the European Union, Scotland voted 62% Remain. Every local authority district in Scotland recorded a Remain majority. Polls since then have shown that Scotland continues to be strongly pro-EU membership.
The Common Ground online debate is on Tuesday 5th December at 7pm.
Tickets for the event, which is free, can be booked at Eventbrite:
Common Ground is being hosted by the European Movement in Scotland (EMiS), the leading all-party group campaigning for a return to European Union membership. David Martin is president of EMiS and Alyn Smith a vice-president.
David Clarke, chair of EMiS says: “Alyn and David are passionate Europeans who share similar views about building an unstoppable momentum that sees us eventually rejoin the EU.
“They will discuss how that momentum is built and the competing claims of independence or union as the most likely route back to Europe.”
The European Movement is Scotland says the debate is “must see” event for everyone interested in Scotland’s European future and how pro-EU politicians from across the party divide can work together to achieve ever-stronger ties of trade, education, culture and friendship with our EU friends.
Speaking at an event in Dumfries, Philip Rycroft, who was head of the Department for Leaving the European Union until 2019, said the barriers that now exists between the UK and its major EU markets acts as a ‘drag anchor’ on the UK and reduces productivity growth.
“Coming out of the EU means we will be poorer than otherwise we would have been, said Mr Rycroft.
Philip Rycroft and former senior BBC journalist, David Shukman were taking part in a sell-out event in Dumfries organised by the European Movement in Scotland.
In his opening remarks, Mr Shukman called Brexit, “The most catastrophic blunder any country has made.”
Mr Rycroft explained that following the Brexit referendum, the government had no plan. He led a team that produced an impact study that demonstrated that any form of Brexit was worse for the UK economy than staying in. Brexit has been far more complicated and difficult than the Leave side imagined, said the ex-civil servant.
“They promised big trade deals with other nations. None of any scale have materialised, particularly a deal with the USA. We would need around 30 trade deals like an American one to replace what we have lost in EU trade.”
Philip Rycroft went on the say that Brexit came at a very bad time for the UK. Since the 2016 referendum vote the world has become much more unstable. He cited the war in Ukraine and Russian belligerence, the subsequent energy crisis and raised tensions between the US and China.”
“Brexit has weakened a bond of trust and common cause that has existed between the UK and the European states since the end of WW2. In times like these we need those relationship to be as strong as possible.
“All of the UK’s predominate interests lie in Europe, whoever is in power.”
Brexit and Scottish independence
During his time at the Brexit department, Mr Rycroft also headed the UK government’s unit on UK constitutional affairs and devolution. He recalled that Brexit put immediate pressure on the workings of the UK union. Scotland had voted 62% Remain.
“It was an extraordinarily difficult time. We knew the union was in a pretty fragile state. Brexit revealed the core ambiguity of the nature of the relationship between Scotland and England. Is it a union of law or one of consent?”
Mr Rycroft believes Brexit has made an independent Scotland more likely, but also more difficult.
“A lot of people in Scotland were very angry that Scotland’s Brexit vote was subsidiary to the overall UK vote. That is a central fact that will be with us forever. It is a primary factor in the independence case.
“An independent Scotland would have to choose between joining the EU or staying in the UK single market. There is no way round that choice.”
After the general election
David Clarke, chair of the European Movement in Scotland says Mr Rycroft and Mr Shukman have been invited back for another conversation after the UK general election.
“Our guests, Philp Rycroft and David Shukman delivered a conversation that gave unique insights into the turmoil inside government after the Brexit vote.
“They provided hugely informative analysis of what has happened since. We had two speakers of the highest quality and have asked them back.” says David Clarke.
The new head of the European Movement in the UK (EMUK) will on Saturday mark the seventh anniversary of the disastrous vote for Brexit by urging Scots to boost the campaign to Rejoin the European Union.
Scotland voted 62-38 to Remain on 23rd June 2016, with current polls showing an even bigger majority – more than 70% – in favour of rejoining the EU and viewing Brexit in the words of Nigel Farage as “a disaster.”
Dr Mike Galsworthy, EMUK’s new chair, will urge a public meeting in Glasgow organised by the European Movement in Scotland to join in a “society-wide, cross-party campaign to propel Scotland towards its European future.”
Dr Galsworthy, founder of Scientists for EU and a leading grassroots campaigner, is spearheading a EMUK drive to expand its membership base, including in Scotland, as the scale of the economic and political damage wrought by Brexit visibly grows with each passing day.
“As European Movement grows at pace, I’m keen that we start building up local groups and membership all over the UK.
“Scotland has always been passionately pro-European and I am delighted to be visiting European Movement in Scotland (EMiS) to meet its team and promote its campaigning across an array of EU-related issues.
“Scotland has its own society-wide cross-party campaign to drive the country forward towards its European future. I’ll be talking about how we can extend and expand that.”
Dr Galsworthy’s visit comes in the immediate aftermath of MPs’ overwhelming vote – 354-7 – to back the privileges committee findings that Boris Johnson, Brexit’s architect, deliberately misled (lied to) the House of Commons – showing utter contempt for the body whose sovereignty he claimed to be restoring.
It also follows the publication by the Scottish Government of a new paper showing the scale of damage seven years on from the Brexit referendum.
These include:
· An expected loss of £3 billion every year in public revenues for Scotland.
· Food price inflation at a 45 year high with Brexit responsible for an estimated one third of it.
· Damaged trade with 44% of businesses in Scotland naming Brexit as the main cause of difficulties trading overseas.
· Staff shortages reported by 45% of tourism businesses in the Highland and Islands, as a result of the loss of freedom of movement.
The European Movement is growing. Membership has tripled in the last four years, reaching almost 20,000 and growing every day.
The EMiS meeting is at Strathclyde Business School, 199 Cathedral Street, Glasgow G4 0QU, at 6pm.
Further details, including for registration, can be found here.
The report is based on an inquiry undertaken between July 2022 and March 2023. The inquiry involved 12 oral evidence sessions, with a total of 43 witnesses, as well as 58 written submissions.
The report examines the overarching state of the post-Brexit relationship between the UK and EU, and how this might be developed in the future, across four themes:
The overall political, diplomatic and institutional relationship;
the foreign policy, defence and security relationship;
energy security and climate change; and
mobility of people.
After years of tension and mistrust, recommendations focus on actions to be taken as a priority as part of a reset of UK-EU relations following the recent agreement of the Windsor Framework.
The Committee’s key findings and recommendations are as follows:
The political, diplomatic and institutional relationship
The opportunity the recent improvement in the mood around UK-EU relations this presents for a reset of UK-EU relations should, following years of tension and mistrust, must be grasped.
There should be a considerable increase in engagement between the UK and the EU. This should include greater use of existing institutional structures such as the TCA Specialised Committees. There would also be value in holding regular UK-EU summits. The UK’s participation in the new European Political Community is welcome.
The foreign policy, defence and security relationship
Cooperation between the UK and the EU has been close and productive in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Nevertheless, the ad hoc approach to sanctions coordination with the EU should be replaced by a more formal mechanism.
The Government’s decision to participate in the Military Mobility project under the EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) is welcome. It should consider future opportunities for defence cooperation with the EU that are complementary to NATO as they arise.
The Government should approach the EU with the aim of establishing appropriate structured cooperation arrangements on external affairs.
Energy security and climate change
Energy trading between the UK and the EU has continued without much disruption despite the energy security challenges experienced in Europe following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, an agreement should be reached to guarantee that energy flows can continue in the event of a critical supply shortage.
The UK and the EU should cooperate closely on the installation of additional interconnectors, including in the North Sea, which are needed to ensure future energy security.
There would be mutual benefits to be gained from the UK and the EU linking their respective Emissions Trading Schemes and the Government should approach the EU about this possibility. The Government should also engage closely with the EU in relation to the latter’s proposal for a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
Mobility of people
The end of free movement of people between the UK and the EU has had a major impact on business and professional travel. Government guidance on business and professional mobility should be made more straightforward to navigate and interpret.
The substantial decline in school visits from the EU to the UK since 2019 is regrettable. To address this the Government should reintroduce a youth group travel scheme that would not require pupils travelling on school visits from any EU country to carry individual passports.
Post-Brexit barriers to mobility have had a disproportionate impact on younger people. The Government should approach the EU about the possibility of entering an ambitious reciprocal youth mobility partnership, similar to existing schemes with other jurisdictions such as Australia and Canada.
Lord Kinnoull, Chair of the Committee, said: “The UK’s post-Brexit relationship with the EU has regrettably come under significant strain over the period since the TCA came into force, characterised by tension and mistrust.
“While the recent change in mood for future UK-EU relations following the announcement of the Windsor Framework is welcome, there is now the opportunity to move the relationship forward to the mutual benefit of both the UK and the EU.
“A particular theme running through our Future UK-EU Relationship report evidence was the significant impact of post-Brexit barriers to mobility young workers and professionals in the early stages of their careers, emerging artists, as well as students across different educational levels. Making progress here will benefit all in the short term but especially in the long term.
“The Committee feels that it is now time to address the considerable lack of structure in the foreign policy, security and defence relationship. Here we particularly recommend means of seeking to make sanctions bite harder through analysis and enforcement cooperation.
“Another area we looked into was energy. Here again we have made many recommendations which will help our long term energy security.
“We have also made a number of recommendations about the current institutional relationship and how improvements can be made”.
Humza Yousaf will appoint a senior figure to head up Scottish Government strategy for re-joining the EU and is planning to stage a European summit in Scotland if he is elected SNP leader and First Minister.
In a letter to David Clarke, chair of the European Movement in Scotland, Mr Yousaf says: “If elected as First Minister I would seek to rebuild closer relationships with the EU as a matter of priority, bringing Scotland back to Europe, where we belong. I would envision having someone in place to lead this strategy.”
He adds: ” We want to re-join Europe because we want to re-join the scientific research community as well as build transparent trading standards and regulations that sit within the EU. It is also, vitally, about working on issues of climate change and biodiversity on land and sea at a European level to ensure best practice and shared responsibilities.”
Mr Yousaf tells Scotland’s leading pro-European campaign that the person leading the strategy of re-joining “as a small independent country” would be tasked with rebuilding the infrastructure “to help us transition back into Europe.” He does not rule out making this a cabinet-level role, he adds.
“I am confident we will return to Europe. We must. I must be very clear regarding my unwavering commitment to Europe, however. If elected as First Minister, I would work firmly with the belief that the only way Scotland can return to Europe is as an independent country. I will re-affirm the case to the people of Scotland, then, that our place in Europe is as a small independent country.”
The current health secretary says he intends hosting a European summit in Scotland is he wins the three-cornered contest.
“We would intend to engage in honest dialogue with not only our fellow EU partners the Greens/ European Free Alliance, but other EU groups that are open to democracy and furthering social justice across Europe,” he explains.
He also confirms that the SNP will set up its own permanent office in Brussels as a way of “establishing our presence as a small European nation at the heart of Europe and ensuring Scotland’s case for returning to Europe be heard by our European neighbours.”
David Clarke, chair of the European Movement in Scotland commented: “Europe should be centre stage of any political discussion in this country.
“Brexit has been the disaster we always knew it would be. There is but one way to overcome the chaos and economic deprivation of the last few years and that is to re-join the European Union as soon as possible. We applaud any politician from any party willing to tell this truth and to take steps to put this into action.”
As the ‘continuity candidate’, Yousaf has the backing of a raft of senior SNP politicians in his bid to become party leader and First Minister, but whether he will have the support of rank and file members who are looking for a radical change in direction in the fight for independence is another matter.
SNP members will have the opportunity to have their say when voting opens tomorrow.
Opposition parties have already made up their minds:
The Windsor Framework, agreed by the Prime Minister and European Commission President, replaces the old Northern Ireland Protocol, providing a new legal and UK constitutional framework.
Fundamentally rewriting the Treaty with new ‘Stormont Brake’ means UK can veto new EU goods laws if they are not supported by both communities in Northern Ireland
New green lane removes any sense of a border in Irish Sea
Northern Ireland to benefit from same VAT, food and drink and medicines as the rest of the UK
A new way forward for a prosperous, stable future for Northern Ireland has been set out, rewriting the Treaty to fix the practical problems for the people and businesses of Northern Ireland, protects Northern Ireland’s place within our Union, and restores the balance of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in all its dimensions.
The Windsor Framework, agreed by the Prime Minister and European Commission President yesterday, replaces the old Northern Ireland Protocol, dealing with the issues it has created and providing a new legal and UK constitutional framework.
It delivers free-flowing trade in goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland by removing any sense of the border in the Irish Sea for goods staying within the UK. These goods will travel as normal through a new green lane without red tape or unnecessary checks, with the only checks remaining designed to prevent smuggling or crime.
It protects Northern Ireland’s place in our Union, replacing swathes of EU laws with UK laws and ensuring the people of Northern Ireland can benefit from the same tax policies, food and drink, medicines, and parcels as the rest of the UK.
It puts the people of Northern Ireland in charge with active democratic consent. The Agreement rewrites the Treaty text with a new Stormont Brake that means the UK can veto new EU goods laws if they are not supported by both communities in Northern Ireland, which goes far beyond previous agreements or discussions on the old Protocol.
At Monday’s press conference, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Today’s agreement is written in the language of laws and treaties. But really, it’s about much more than that.
“It’s about stability in Northern Ireland. It’s about real people and real businesses. It’s about showing that our Union, that has lasted for centuries, can and will endure.
“And it’s about breaking down the barriers between us. Setting aside the arguments that have for too long, divided us. And remembering the fellow feeling that defines us: This family of nations – this United Kingdom.”
The Windsor Framework delivers free-flowing movement of goods between Northern Ireland and Great Britain and removes any sense of a border in the Irish Sea within the UK:
A new green lane (the UK internal market scheme) means traders moving goods destined for Northern Ireland will be freed of unnecessary paperwork, checks and duties, using only ordinary commercial information rather than burdensome customs bureaucracy or complex certification requirements for agrifood. The same type of standard commercial information used when moving goods from Birmingham to the Isle of Wight will be used Birmingham to Belfast. All goods destined for the EU will use the red lane.
All requirements have been scrapped for trade from Northern Ireland to Great Britain on a permanent basis, including the requirement for export declarations.
The green lane will be expanded to include food retailers such as supermarkets and hospitality businesses, significantly reducing SPS checks and costly paperwork, and ensuring choice for consumers on supermarket shelves. A single supermarket truck who previously had to provide 500 certificates can now instead make a straightforward commitment that goods will stay in Northern Ireland. Retailers will mark goods as “not for EU”, with a phased rollout of this requirement to give them time to adjust.
Chilled meats like sausages, which were banned under the old Protocol, can move freely into Northern Ireland like other retail food products.
Parcels from people or businesses in Great Britain can now be sent to friends, family, and consumers in Northern Ireland as they are today, without customs declarations, processes or extra costs under the old Protocol. Parcels sent business to business will travel via the green lane.
The Windsor Framework protects Northern Ireland’s place in the Union:
The same medicines, in the same packs, with the same labels, will be available across the UK, without the need for barcode scanning requirements under the old Protocol. The UK will license all medicines for all UK citizens, including novel medicines like cancer drugs, rather than the European Medicines Agency under the old Protocol. NI’s healthcare industry will have full access to both UK and EU markets, supporting jobs and investment through a dual regulatory regime.
Pets can also now travel freely with their owners across the UK, without expensive health treatments like rabies or documentation from a vet. Pet owners in Northern Ireland won’t have to do a thing when travelling to GB. Where they’re not moving on to Ireland or the rest of the EU, GB owners with microchipped pets can either easily sign up for a lifetime travel document for their pet, available online and electronically in a matter of minutes, or an equally seamless process built into the booking processfor a flight or ferry.
Previously banned iconic plants like English oak trees and seed potatoes will once again move easily within the UK without the bureaucratic checks and costly certification under the old Protocol and instead use a similar process to the Plant Passport scheme that already exists in Great Britain. This will end restrictions that hampered consumer choice and damaged business whilst protecting the long-standing single epidemiological area on the island of Ireland.
The legal text of the Treaty has been amended, so that critical VAT and excisechanges will apply to the whole of the UK. This means that zero-rates of VAT on energy saving materials like solar panels and alcohol duty reforms will now apply in Northern Ireland.
The UK Government can continue to provide generous and targeted subsidiesacross the UK. The ‘reach-back’ risks under the old Protocol have been addressed with new stringent tests, so there are now almost no circumstances in which the Protocol applies to UK subsidies, providing certainty for businesses to trade and invest in Northern Ireland. We expect more than 98% of Northern Ireland subsidies to be unaffected in practice.
The Windsor Framework safeguards sovereignty and fixes the democratic deficit by putting the people of Northern Ireland in charge:
The new Stormont Brake means the democratically elected Northern Ireland Assembly can oppose new EU goods rules that would have significant and lasting effects on everyday lives in Northern Ireland. They will do so on the same basis as the ‘petition of concern’ mechanism in the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, needing the support of 30 members from at least two parties. The Stormont Brake has been introduced by fundamentally rewriting the Treaty and goes significantly further than the ‘all or nothing vote’ under the old Protocol every four years at most.
Over 1,700 of EU law have been removed, and with it ECJ interpretation and oversight in areas like VAT, medicines, and food safety – so the UK Government can decide and UK courts can interpret. The minimal set of EU rules – less than 3% – apply to preserve the privileged, unrestricted access for Northern Ireland businesses to the whole of the EU Single Market and avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.
The agreement concludes months of intensive discussions between the UK and EU to address real world issues and needs of the people of Northern Ireland.
Providing reassurance for the future, the UK and EU have agreed to work together to anticipate and deal with any other issues that may emerge and have made a joint declaration to resolve issues through dialogue, rather than formal dispute proceedings.
Alongside ‘The Windsor Framework: a new way forward’, the Government has published the full range of legal texts that underpin the Windsor Framework. These solutions put arrangements in Northern Ireland on an entirely new footing, with far-reaching changes to the old Protocol to provide lasting certainty and stability for citizens and businesses in Northern Ireland.
To give businesses and individuals time to prepare, the implementation of the agreement will be phased in, with some of the new arrangements for goods, agrifood, pets and plant movements introduced later this year and the remainder in 2024. In the meantime, the current temporary standstill arrangements will continue to apply.
The UK Government will no longer proceed with the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, as the UK and EU have come to a negotiated agreement. Similarly, the agreement will mean the EU withdrawing all of the legal actions it has launched against the UK.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak makes a speech on the Windsor Framework:
Good afternoon.
All our thoughts are with Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell and his family after last week’s abhorrent shooting in Omagh.
A man of extraordinary courage, his first thought was to protect the children he had been coaching.
President Von der Leyen and I stand united with the people and leaders of all communities across Northern Ireland.
Those trying to drag us back to the past will never succeed.
This afternoon, I welcomed President Von der Leyen to Windsor to continue our discussions about the Northern Ireland Protocol.
I’m pleased to report that we have now made a decisive breakthrough.
Together, we have changed the original Protocol and are today announcing the new Windsor Framework.
Today’s agreement:
Delivers smooth flowing trade within the whole United Kingdom.
Protects Northern Ireland’s place in our Union.
And safeguards sovereignty for the people of Northern Ireland.
These negotiations have not always been easy, but I’d like to pay an enormous personal tribute to Ursula for her vision in recognising the possibility of a new way forward.
And to my colleagues the Foreign and Northern Ireland Secretaries for their steadfast leadership.
The United Kingdom and the European Union may have had our differences in the past, but we are allies, trading partners, and friends … something that we’ve seen clearly in the past year as we joined with others, to support Ukraine.
This is the beginning of a new chapter in our relationship.
For a quarter of a century the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement has endured because at its heart is respect for the aspirations and identities of all communities.
Today’s agreement is about preserving that delicate balance and charting a new way forward for the people of Northern Ireland.
I am standing here today because I believe that we have found ways to end the uncertainty and challenge for the people of Northern Ireland.
We have taken three big steps forward.
First, today’s agreement delivers the smooth flow of trade within the United Kingdom.
Goods destined for Northern Ireland will travel through a new Green Lane, with a separate Red Lane for goods at risk of moving onto the EU.
In the Green Lane, burdensome customs bureaucracy will be scrapped.
It means food retailers like supermarkets, restaurants and wholesalers will no longer need hundreds of certificates for every lorry.
And we will end the situation where food made to UK rules could not be sent to and sold in Northern Ireland.
This means that if food is available on the supermarket shelves in Great Britain … then it will be available on supermarket shelves in Northern Ireland.
And unlike the Protocol, today’s agreement means people sending parcels to friends and family or doing their shopping online, will have to complete no customs paperwork.
This means we have removed any sense of a border in the Irish Sea.
Second, we have protected Northern Ireland’s place in the Union.
We’ve amended the legal text of the Protocol to ensure we can make critical VAT and excise changes for the whole of the UK…
…for example on alcohol duty, meaning our reforms to cut the cost of a pint in the pub will now apply in Northern Ireland.
The same quintessentially British products like trees, plants, and seed potatoes – will again be available in Northern Ireland’s garden centres.
Onerous requirements on pet travel have been removed.
And today’s agreement also delivers a landmark settlement on medicines.
From now on, drugs approved for use by the UK’s medicines regulator… will be automatically available in every pharmacy and hospital in Northern Ireland.
Third, today’s agreement safeguards sovereignty for the people of Northern Ireland.
The only EU law that applies in Northern Ireland under the Framework … is the minimum necessary to avoid a hard border with Ireland and allow Northern Irish businesses to continue accessing the EU market.
But I know that many people in Northern Ireland are also worried about being subject to changes to EU goods laws.
To address that, today’s agreement introduces a new Stormont Brake.
Many had called for Stormont to have a say over these laws.
But the Stormont Brake goes further and means that Stormont can in fact stop them from applying in Northern Ireland.
This will establish a clear process through which the democratically elected Assembly can pull an emergency brake … for changes to EU goods rules that would have significant, and lasting effects on everyday lives. If the brake is pulled, the UK government will have a veto.
This gives the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland a powerful new safeguard, based on cross community consent.
I believe the Windsor Framework marks a turning point for the people of Northern Ireland.
It fixes the practical problems they face.
It preserves the balance of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement.
Of course, parties will want to consider the agreement in detail, a process that will need time and care.
Today’s agreement is written in the language of laws and treaties.
But really, it’s about much more than that.
It’s about stability in Northern Ireland.
It’s about real people and real businesses.
It’s about showing that our Union, that has lasted for centuries, can and will endure.
And it’s about breaking down the barriers between us.
Setting aside the arguments that for too long, have divided us.
And remembering the fellow feeling that defines us: This family of nations – this United Kingdom.
The European Movement in Scotland (EMiS), the country’s leading pro-EU body, is stepping up its campaign to rejoin the European Union in 2023 with new hires and a fresh membership drive.
EU+me, another pro-European body, is joining forces with EMiS this month to give what its outgoing chair, Prof Stephen Gethins, calls “focus, scale and momentum” to the growing campaign for Scotland to rejoin the EU – in its own right or as part of the UK.
At the same time, EMiS has appointed David McDonald (SNP), a former depute leader and convener for culture, vibrancy and international relations at Glasgow City Council, to be its new membership and campaigns co-ordinator.
These moves come as David Clarke, a financial consultant and ex-journalist who has worked to develop Scotland’s financial services sector and build relations with his native Ireland, takes over from Mark Lazarowicz, the former Labour MP, as EMiS chair with a remit to grow the membership and boost the rejoin movement.
They also come on the 50th anniversary of the UK joining the then European Economic Community in 1973 and amid widespread evidence that British voters are repenting their 2016 decision to exit the EU (Brexit), increasingly tending to favour rejoining the world’s biggest peace project and trading bloc.
According to YouGov, only 32% of people across the UK now believe it was right to leave the EU while a clear majority, 56%, says it was wrong – a margin of 24 points, the widest recorded since the 2016 referendum. Almost three-quarters of young Scots wish to rejoin the EU.
Like EMiS, EU+me has been a non-partisan network of pro-Europeans making the positive case for our future as a European nation at the heart of the EU. Its outgoing chair, ex-SNP MP, Professor Gethins, is joining the EMiS executive as a co-opted member in the wake of the merger.
Stephen Gethins, former SNP MP and spokesperson for international affairs and Europe, said: “The European Union is one of the great success stories of our times. It has delivered peace, prosperity and stability to its citizens since it was founded.
“Every state that has joined the EU has seen an improvement in the quality of life of its citizens. The only Member State to have left, the UK, has seen a deterioration of its citizens’ quality of life.
“We all know that leaving the EU against our will has had a devastating impact on our economy, on our freedoms, protections and rights. Young people, who have had opportunity snatched away, and small businesses who have seen a dramatic increase in red tape have been particularly badly affected. It is unsurprising that support for rejoining the EU is growing in support whilst backing for remaining isolated outside is evaporating.
“This is the right time to consolidate the major pro-European campaigns in Scotland. Providing focus, scale and momentum. EMIS is the obvious point of consolidation and host for that process. EU+me have now formalised the partnership that we have always enjoyed with colleagues in EMIS. We will now be joining forces putting our resources, innovative content and network of relationships fully behind.”
David Clarke added: ” The statistics are becoming clearer by the day, no matter what the Brexit flat-earthers would have us believe – leaving the EU has made us poorer and our lives more difficult. As a result, pro-Europeans in Scotland are uniting around the benefits of closer links with our European partners with the eventual aim of rejoining the EU.
“We are determined to provide a clear and evidence-based path to closer cooperation with Europe and we look forward to working with partners in Scotland and the wider UK to overturn this divisive and disastrous Brexit.”
