I would like to deal with the issue of the Irish protocol. Britain has shown itself not to be a great supporter of international law, as Boris Johnson clings on to power with the help of the European Research Group and puts himself in the same bracket as Erdoğan, Putin and Viktor Orbán. Like most occupying forces, the rule of law was never top of the agenda for Britain in the North. That can be seen from the damages awarded to the Ballymurphy families, and this is only one of many examples. We have to deal with the spurious argument that the Tories are putting out regarding their defence of the Good Friday Agreement and the fact they are not dealing with the financial realities and benefits of the Irish protocol in the North. We need a piece of work, a very short document, from the Government that blows this argument out of the water. That is necessary and it would be vital as part of starting the move towards planning for Irish unity, which is the only real solution.

The Government could not be any clearer in its response to the actions that have been taken unilaterally by the British Government. We believe it is a clear breach of faith with regard to the protocol that was negotiated over many years. We believe the action and harm it could cause to our country and to the economy and stability of Northern Ireland is immense. I join in what the Taoiseach said yesterday in calling on the British Government and Ministers involved in this to reconsider their actions.

We will continue, through the European Commission, to make the case for the protocol being the best possible solution to deal with the consequences of Brexit on the Good Friday Agreement and our membership of the Single Market. The protocol is needed and must stay in place and any change that takes place regarding its future has to take place inside the framework of the protocol itself being preserved.