What is the Northern Ireland Protocol and why does it matter?
The Northern Ireland Protocol has been at the heart of UK politics for the past few years.
Since the Brexit transition period ended on 31 December 2020, the protocol has been a point of friction between Westminster, Belfast and the EU.
In May 2022, Sinn Fein made history by becoming the first nationalist party to win the most seats in Northern Ireland Assembly elections, with the unionist DUP experiencing big losses.
The protocol was blamed for much of that turnaround in votes, with the DUP refusing to take part in government unless the protocol is abandoned or replaced, meaning there is no sitting government in Northern Ireland.
In a bid to break the impasse, a controversial bill put forward by Boris Johnson when he was prime minister which would have allowed the UK to change the protocol without the permission of the EU.
Since Rishi Sunak took over, relations have thawed slightly, with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying in January 2023 that she has a “very trusted and excellent relationship” with the PM and their teams are “working together to find solutions”.
On 16 February, Mr Sunak travelled to Northern Ireland to meet local leaders amid mounting speculation a deal is within reach.
What is the Northern Ireland Protocol?
The UK and EU agreed to put the protocol in place after Brexit to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.
Lorries can continue to cross the border from Northern Ireland into the Republic without having paperwork and goods checked – as they did when the UK was in the EU.
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What is power sharing and why is it used in Northern Ireland?
Because Ireland remains in the EU, a new arrangement was needed to reflect the EU’s strict food rules and border checks.
The protocol states that Northern Ireland will remain part of the UK’s customs territory – so if the UK signs a free-trade deal with another country, Northern Irish goods would be included.
However, Northern Ireland has to stick to some EU rules to allow goods to move freely into the Republic and the rest of the EU.
Goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland are not subject to a tariff unless they are “at risk” of being moved into the EU afterwards.
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What is the Northern Ireland Protocol?
How does it work in practice?
Products from Great Britain entering Northern Ireland have had to undergo EU import procedures at the ports.
To carry out those checks, an Irish Sea border has effectively been imposed – which Boris Johnson promised would not happen.
This has resulted in delays and sometimes sparse supermarket shelves as some suppliers have decided to stop selling to Northern Ireland due to the new cost and difficulty.
There have also been problems with “medicines, on pets, on movements of live animals, on seeds, on plants and on many others”, former Brexit negotiator Lord Frost said last year.
Not all checks specified by the EU have been fully implemented, such as paperwork for supermarkets which was reduced during a temporary “grace period”.
However, those grace periods have been extended by the UK, which has resulted in a row with the EU as it says it is a breach of international law.
A breakthrough under Rishi Sunak?
Relations between the UK and the EU have become slightly more cordial since Mr Sunak became prime minister in October.
On 31 January 2023, The Times reported the EU has accepted a plan to avoid routine checks on goods going into Northern Ireland which will involve a green lane for goods from Great Britain that are staying in the region and a red lane to check and control products going on to Ireland and the rest of the EU.
However, a Foreign Office source suggested the report was speculative and officials were engaged in “intensive scoping talks” with Brussels.
Ms von der Leyen rubbished the claims and said “everything is negotiated at the very end” but they were “very constructive talks”.
On 16 February, Mr Sunak travelled to Belfast to meet Stormont leaders amid growing speculation that a Brexit deal is edging closer.
However, senior figures within the DUP and the European Research Group of the Tory party have warned that any deal must remove the oversight of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Northern Ireland as well as dealing with trading difficulties.
While it is understood the EU and UK are close to signing off a deal that would reduce protocol red tape on the movement of goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, there is no expectation that Brussels is willing to agree to end the application of EU law in the region.
The EU contends that a fundamental plank of the protocol – namely that Northern Ireland traders can sell freely into the European single market – is dependent on the operation of EU rules in the region.
What do the unionists think of the protocol?
All three unionist parties – the DUP, Ulster Unionist Party and Traditional Unionist Voice – are very much opposed as they argue the Irish Sea border threatens Northern Ireland’s place in the United Kingdom.
The DUP’s Paul Givan resigned as first minister over the matter in February 2022.
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2022: Paul Givan resigns as NI first minister
Current DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said before the elections that his party would not re-enter the Stormont Executive – which requires the support of both nationalists and unionists to function – until Westminster acts to “protect Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom”.
The DUP has set out seven tests it says must be met before it supports any new deal on the protocol.
They include: no new checks on goods between GB and NI, compatibility with the Act of Union (all part of the UK should be on equal trade footing), avoiding any diversion of trade where NI customers have to switch to non-GB suppliers, no Irish Sea border, NI citizens to have a role in any new regulations that impact them, no new regulatory barriers between GB and NI unless agreed by NI Assembly, honouring the “letter and spirit” of NI’s constitutional position by requiring upfront consent of any diminution in constitutional status.
The party said it will only enter into a power-sharing government if other parties agree the protocol must be removed or replaced.
He has claimed the protocol has led to higher prices than in the rest of the UK, particularly for dairy products and chilled convenience foods.
What do nationalists think of the protocol?
The two main nationalist parties, Sinn Fein and the SDLP, back the protocol.
Sinn Fein is in favour of the protocol as it prevents a hard border on the island of Ireland, and they want the island to be one nation.
Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill celebrates gains during the election
Its vice-president Michelle O’Neill, who is set to become first minister if a power-sharing deal can be reached, said it is also a “mitigation against Brexit”.
With Sinn Fein becoming the largest party in Stormont, nationalist views are likely to be bolstered on either side of the Irish border which could mean further resistance to changes to the protocol.
Can Northern Irish parties do anything about the protocol?
The Assembly can vote on whether to continue with the protocol in 2024, but would require cross-community support to extend the deal by eight years.
With the unionists very much opposed, this seems unlikely at the moment.
However, a simple majority vote in favour could extend the arrangement for a minimum of four years.
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2021: ‘There’s an issue’ with NI Protocol, says Johnson
What is Article 16?
Article 16 is a clause intended to be used when the protocol is leading to serious “economic, societal or environmental difficulties that are liable to persist, or to diversion of trade”.
It allows either the UK or the EU to act unilaterally to suspend parts of the Brexit treaty to avoid such difficulties.
Invoking the article is considered a last resort when the parties have been unable to agree a joint approach to solving the problems.
The UK has raised the prospect of triggering Article 16 in the past, something Brussels has warned would “lead to instability and unpredictability”.
Any such move could prompt the EU to respond with retaliatory measures such as imposing import taxes on some areas of trade.
What is the Northern Ireland Protocol bill?
In May 2022. the government of then-PM Boris Johnson laid out plans to override the protocol with new legislation – and without the use of Article 16, citing the need to respond to the “very grave and serious situation” around Northern Ireland trade.
Then-foreign secretary Liz Truss said the bill would preserve elements of the protocol that are working, while fixing those that are not – the movement of goods, goods regulation, VAT, subsidy control and governance – in a way Article 16 cannot.
EU officials threatened legal action, with many others accusing the bill of breaking international law.
The UK government was leaning on a legal loophole called the “doctrine of necessity”, and claimed it could pass the bill because it faced “grave and imminent peril” as a result of the protocol.
However, Mr Sunak paused progress of the bill through parliament in December 2022 as efforts to secure a negotiated settlement with the EU ramped up.
World
‘The drones are always there… like some sort of punishment’: Woman’s diary of daily life in Gaza
“We call drones our loyal friends, because they never leave us.”
Tasneem hears Israeli drones overhead, a constant fact of life in Gaza. It gets into your head, into your chest, she says.
“You can’t think, you can’t sleep. You can’t even be.”
“It’s always there, hanging above our heads, like some kind of punishment,” she says. In the background, the slow, constant buzz of a drone is audible.
“The people here in Gaza know that when the drone gets very low, at this level, something will happen. We all know what that something is… I don’t want to mention it.”
Tasneem al Iwini shared voicenotes with Sky News
Tasneem al Iwini is 24. Like her peers across the world, she splits her time between work, studying for a master’s degree and spending time with her family of six.
Except she also has to deal with warplanes screaming overhead, rocketing food prices and the possibility that any day could be the last for her or her loved ones as Israel continues its war in Gaza.
To give a sense of what day-to-day life is like for her in Deir al Balah, Tasneem recorded a series of audio diary entries over the course of a week as part of her work with ActionAid and shared them exclusively with Sky News.
Smoke rises over Deir al Balah. Pic: Reuters
Day One: At least I’m still breathing
It’s incredibly hot today, Tasneem says. The kind of heat that makes your skin heavy and your thoughts slower.
I had so many things to do on my plate today, but honestly, I couldn’t move.
There’s no electricity and no fans, no air conditioner. So here I am just laying on my mattress and sweating.
My only relief is my plastic tray. I’m just using it as my personal fan…
I keep waving it back and forth, not to cool the room, but just to trick my brain into thinking I have control over this heat.
Sometimes I close my eyes and imagine I’m somewhere cold, as I actually prefer winter.
But then I hear the buzz of flies and mosquitoes in my ear and I remember this is Gaza, summer 2025. It’s exhausting, but at least I’m still breathing.
Day Two: Rocketing price of food
It’s Friday, which is a special day for us as it is the day we usually wait to cook something special. Today we are cooking maqluba (a traditional dish consisting of meat, rice and fried vegetables).
We haven’t tasted any kind of real protein like meat, chicken or fish for more than three months. I really miss chicken and fish badly.
But even this fake maqluba costs a lot, so many families can’t afford it… vegetables are very expensive.
Tasneem prepares meals with what she can get. Pic: Tasneem/ActionAid
Before the war we used to cook maqluba with at least four kilos of eggplants, because we are crazy about eggplants and its taste in maqluba . Now, if we manage to cook it with only two eggplants, that’s considered a luxury.
The price of one kilo of eggplant is more than 45 shekels. That’s approximately $12.50. Talking about tomatoes, the price is more than 90 shekels, which is approximately $27 per kilo.
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Day Three: The drone reality
Here we go again. Our dear friend, the drone, Tasneem says as a buzzing noise hums in the background.
It just never leaves. It’s always there hanging above our heads like some kind of punishment.
The sound, I don’t even know how to describe it.
It’s not just noise. It gets into your head, into your chest. You can’t think, you can’t sleep, you can’t even be.
It drains something inside you slowly, and yet we live with it every day.
Later on:
Hi again. I’m just recording the gunfire. We are not sure what is happening outside, actually.
I can say that this is almost an every afternoon routine.
Tasneem al Iwini speaking about conditions in Gaza
Day Four: A message to the world
Today I came across a small community kitchen, one of the very few still functioning.
Because of the current situation, especially the scarcity of food and the near-total blockade on the humanitarian aid, most of these kitchens have shut down…
Smoke rises following an Israeli strike in Deir al Balah. Pic: Reuters
Tasneem says that just after she left the office, the community kitchen was hit in an Israeli strike.
Three youths were killed, and many children were injured.
Those children were playing around and nearby the kitchen…
This time I went to send a message to the world, with a heavy heart burdened by the challenges and the impossible conditions we live under.
I still hold on to hope that this war will end… Because honestly, here in Gaza, we have lost trust in the world, governments and every actor.
Day Five: How many children must die?
Good evening, dear friends. I don’t really know what to say. I feel like my heart is just a drain.
Yesterday I promised to take you through the rest of my day, but honestly, I came home feeling exhausted…
I bought just two cucumbers, and that cost me $8. Yes, $8 for two cucumbers.
This is what it means to say that even the basics have become impossible to get in Gaza.
I came home, washed the cucumbers and cut them into small pieces so all of us could taste what it feels like to eat cucumber.
Tomatoes are even worse. They are completely unaffordable in the market.
Palestinians gather at an aid distribution centre. Pic: Reuters
And every time I think about the situation we are living through here in Gaza, I feel like I’m out of patience. I just can’t take more.
How many of us have to die before the world decides to intervene? And how many children must die, not from bombing or shelling, but from starvation and malnutrition?
Today, the telecommunications company in Gaza announced that in the next 24 hours it is expected that internet services will shut down again because of the fuel shortage and because of the occupation, who continue to block fuel from entering the Strip.
And this does not mean losing the internet only. It means patients in the ICUs will lose connection to life. It means ambulances, fridges for medications and blood, even water pumps for both drinking and domestic use will stop working.
I was planning today to come home and study for my final exams, but I just sat there for a moment thinking about our reality.
And I couldn’t, I couldn’t do anything. So instead, I decided to record this for you. This is what Gaza looks like right now.
Day Seven: The cemetery is full… and the horror of jets overhead
There are many types of weapons being used… and here in Gaza, we the people have learned to genuinely distinguish between them.
We know each sound by heart.
For example, we know the sound of the F-16 (fighter jet) very well. We can even guess when it has a target.
It has a special tone, like it’s rushing towards something. There is a tension in the air, and we feel it in our bodies.
Whenever I hear one of them, I swear I feel like this is the last moment of my life. I cover my ears with both hands and run to stay nearby my family, because in this moment my heart tells me, if something happens, let it happen to all of us together.
I know that’s not how it works, but that’s how I cope. That’s the only way I feel some false sense of control…
Sometimes it feels like the pilot is showing off, flying lower over the heads of women, children and civilians, as if to say: “Look at me. I can do this.”
Every time the jets go low, I start praying, I do everything I can as if it is the end of my life.
A Palestinian boy walks amid debris after strikes in Deir al Balah. Pic: AP
In another voicenote from the same day, Tasneem talked about her walk to work.
I pass by the cemetery every day. Today, I saw a situation that truly broke my heart.
There was a group of angry people gathered around the person who is responsible for digging graves.
They were shouting, saying the cemetery is completely full, and now they have started opening all the graves without knowing who is buried there and without getting any consent from the families of the dead.
They are placing new dead bodies on the top of the old ones, whether they are men, women or children.
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‘Many people here prefer death over displacement’
Most people were furious, and honestly, I was so disappointed and heartbroken when I saw this.
This is one of those things I wish I never had to witness, but I wanted to share it with you, because it says so much about how bad things have become.
‘Critical moment’ for Gaza
Tasneem works with the Palestinian NGOs Network in Gaza and has partnered with ActionAid in the UK.
A spokesperson for ActionAid UK said: “Humanitarian workers like Tasneem are risking their lives every day to support and advocate for their fellow Palestinians in Gaza, despite experiencing the same intolerable conditions that they are.
“Just imagine having to go to work when you haven’t had a proper meal in days, knowing that at any moment you could be killed by bombing: that is their daily reality. Yet still, people like Tasneem are bravely speaking out and telling their stories so that the world knows the truth about the horrors they are facing…
“This is a critical moment. It’s time for the world to take meaningful action and use every diplomatic lever available to bring about a permanent ceasefire and end the siege on Gaza immediately so that food and other aid can enter unhindered, rapidly and at scale.”
World
Number of dead in Gaza reaches 63,000, health ministry says – as Israel declares city a combat zone
More than 63,000 Palestinians have now reportedly been killed during Israel’s war in Gaza, a figure likely to rise after the IDF declared Gaza City a combat zone on Friday.
The number of people killed, reported by the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, follows nearly 23 months of war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing ahead with his plan to militarily occupy the Gaza Strip, starting with Gaza City, with the goal of destroying Hamas and returning the remaining Israeli hostages.
A mourner during the funeral of Palestinians killed while trying to receive aid. Pic: Reuters
Israel on Friday claimed the city was a Hamas stronghold and alleged that a network of tunnels remains in use despite several previous large-scale raids on the area.
Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee urged Palestinians to flee south, calling evacuation of the city “inevitable”.
But the head of the Red Cross warned it would be impossible to keep people safe during such a mass evacuation.
Many people in Gaza City would not be able to follow evacuation orders because they are starving, sick or injured, Mirjana Spoljaric said.
Palestinians are being urged to flee Gaza City by the Israeli military. Pic: Reuters
International humanitarian law requires Israel to ensure civilians have access to shelter, safety and nutrition,
when evacuation orders are issued.
“These conditions cannot currently be met in Gaza. This makes any evacuation not only unfeasible but incomprehensible under the present circumstances,” Ms Spoljaric added.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced it had targeted Abu Obeida, a spokesperson for Hamas’s armed wing, in a strike on Gaza City, according to Israeli media.
And Mr Netanyahu later said the body of hostage Idan Shtivi was retrieved from Gaza.
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A Palestinian child waits to receive food from a charity kitchen. Pic: Reuters
Four people were killed by Israeli gunfire on Saturday while trying to get aid in central Gaza, according to health officials at Awda hospital, where the bodies were brought.
Their deaths join the almost 1,900 people who the UN say have been killed while seeking food since 27 May, including more than 1,000 killed in the vicinity of the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites.
“Most of these killings appear to have been committed by the Israeli military,” a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Thameen Al-Kheetan said.
Israel has previously blamed Hamas militants for fomenting chaos and endangering civilians at aid sites.
The conflict began with a Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which saw around 1,200 people killed and about 250 people taken hostage.
Greta Thunberg has rejected accusations of antisemitism as she embarks on her second flotilla to Gaza.
The 22-year-old and other activists are setting sail on the largest flotilla to Gaza on Sunday, despite having been detained by Israeli forces and deported when they approached on a British-flagged yacht in June.
Israel later accused the group of activists of being antisemitic – an accusation Thunberg told Sky News’ Europe correspondent Siobhan Robbins she rejects.
“It is not antisemitic to say that we should not be bombing people, that one should not be living in occupation, that everyone should have the right to live in freedom and dignity, no matter who you are,” she said.
Greta Thunberg is embarking on a flotilla to Gaza again
In June, Thunberg and others were detained by the IDF on board a ship to Gaza
Before the dozens of boats carrying aid embarks from Spain, the activists called on governments to pressure Israel to allow their flotilla through the naval blockade.
Israel imposed the blockade on Gaza after Hamas took control of the coastal enclave in 2007 and has blocked numerous attempts to reach Gaza since, including a vessel in 2010 by its special forces in which at least nine Turkish activists were killed.
But Thunberg brushed concerns about the dangers of the trip aside, saying she was instead worried about the “silence of the world” in light of what is happening in Gaza.
“I’m terrified to see that we seem to have lost all the humanity that we have, and there seems to be no compassion left in the world amongst the vast majority of people who are able to sit on the couch and watch the genocide unfold that I am terrified for,” she added.
The new, bigger flotilla, will set off from Spain on Sunday
Greta Thunberg brushed concerns about the dangers of the trip aside
Israel has repeatedly denied claims of genocide and previously described the first ship, Madleen, as “the selfie yacht”, dismissing the aid ship as a propaganda stunt in support of Hamas.
In a statement to Sky News, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said: “The IDF enforces the security naval blockade on the Gaza Strip and is prepared for a wide range of scenarios, which it will act upon in accordance with the directives of the political echelon.”
Thunberg said: “It’s important that by doing so, by continuing this blockade, Israel is violating international law. And what we are trying to do is to use our rights to sail on international waters and to deliver humanitarian aid, which Israel is not allowed to block from coming in.”
Greta Thunberg aboard the Madleen on 2 June. Pic: Freedom Flotilla Coalition/Reuters
The Madleen was intercepted before reaching Gaza
The naval blockade has remained in place through conflicts, including the current war, which began when Hamas fighters attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive against Hamas has since killed almost 63,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, while part of the Strip is suffering from famine, according to a global hunger monitor – something Israel denies.
In March, Israel also sealed off Gaza by land, not letting in supplies for three months, claiming Hamas was diverting aid.
Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen. Pic: Reuters
Asked what would be her message to Hamas, which is still holding 48 hostages in Gaza, around 20 of whom Israel still believes to be alive, Thunberg said she does “not stand behind killing civilians”.
“But we translate that into reality and we’re seeing how many hundreds of thousands of people are dying in Gaza now, how many hundreds of thousands of people have been deprived [of] their dignity and justice and freedom by Israel,” she added.
Sky News’ Europe correspondent Siobhan Robbins interviewed Greta Thunberg in Spain
The IDF said in its statement: “Israel allows and facilitates the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. Since the beginning of the war, over two million tons of aid have been delivered to Gaza – approximately one ton of aid per person on average.
“The last few months 9,000 aid trucks have entered through land crossings, as publicly reported.
“In recent weeks, approximately 300 aid trucks have entered daily, primarily carrying food, medical supplies, hygiene products, and other essential items according to needs identified by international organisations and the UN. Israel does not impose quantitative limits on aid trucks entering Gaza.
“Several significant measures have been implemented to expand aid volume and facilitate collection by the UN and international organisations. Recent data on aid deliveries demonstrates Israel’s commitment to facilitating humanitarian assistance to Gaza.”
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Thunberg, who is among hundreds of people from 44 countries on the flotilla, hopes their mission will bring symbolic aid and help open up a humanitarian corridor to deliver more aid.
She said the activists’ goal is to send “hope and solidarity to the people of Gaza, showing a clear signal that the world has not forgotten about you”.
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