In his latest column, High Peak MP Robert Largan writes about the deal agreed with the EU on post-Brexit trading arrangements in Northern Ireland.

As readers will have seen in news reports, the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol, as part of Brexit, has caused significant issues. 

Crucially, the implementation of the Protocol did not respect Northern Ireland's integral place in the UK's internal market and preserve the delicate balance in the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in all its dimensions – East-West as well as North-South. 

Furthermore, the Northern Ireland Executive has not been fully functioning since early February last year because the Protocol did not have cross-communal support. 

As part of my role in Government, I serve on the front bench and work in the Northern Ireland Office. Over the last few months, I’ve been working hard behind the scenes on this issue. 

This week, the Prime Minister secured a huge diplomatic victory for the United Kingdom, successfully negotiating to replace the Northern Ireland Protocol with the new Windsor Framework. 

This new agreement delivers free flowing trade by removing the border in the Irish Sea and safeguards Northern Ireland’s place in our Union. 

It also restores sovereignty for the people of Northern Ireland by eliminating the democratic deficit, creating a new Stormont Break, allowing NI to block new EU laws via a new UK veto. 

This has all been achieved by doing what nobody thought was possible: scrapping 1,700 pages of EU law and making radical, permanent, legally binding changes. 

This all might sound quite technical (and it is) but it is also vitally important to the whole United Kingdom. It’s also very positive for economic growth and job creation. 

In a very meaningful sense, this diplomatic victory also marks the end of the Brexit process. If, like me, you’ve had enough of arguing about Europe over the last seven years, you’ll welcome the fact that Brexit is finally done! 

The Prime Minister deserves significant credit for achieving this major breakthrough and I am proud to have played a (small) role. 

This is a big result for the country but there is lots more to do. Halve inflation. Grow the economy. Reduce the debt. Cut NHS waiting lists. Stop the small boats. 

Whatever the next few weeks and months bring, I’ll keep on standing up for the High Peak.

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