Irish Sea border

Articles 4 and 5 of the Northern Ireland Protocol specify how goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain are to be handled. (Article 6 affirms that goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain have "unfettered access".) The detailed workings of Articles 4 and 5 were amended in early 2023 when the UK and EU agreed the Windsor Framework and put into effect from 1 October 2023. The Framework allows for goods supplied by trusted traders and clearly marked "not for EU" to be transferred with minimal controls. The same dispensation applies to parcels, even quite large ones. When crossing from Great Britain into Northern Ireland, people carrying more than €10,000 (or equivalent) in cash are required to follow the same laws as when travelling from Great Britain to the European Union. (An initial plan to require pet passports has been suspended indefinitely while negotiations continue.) ==Controversies==

While conducting Brexit negotiations during her term as British Prime Minister, Theresa May stated "no UK prime minister could ever agree" to an Irish Sea border. Similarly, in August 2020, Boris Johnson said that "There will be no border down the Irish Sea – over my dead body". The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) supported Brexit, but "opposed the protocol and voted against it in the House of Commons." Some Unionists, according to The Independent, believed that: "the Brexit deal has cut NI adrift from the rest of the UK, pushing Belfast further away from London, paving the way for an economic united Ireland", and loyalists called for the arrangement to be removed or, furthermore, for the collapse of the devolved administration. The governing DUP, however, said that "It would be a foolish idea to collapse devolution. It would remove the party who opposed the NI Protocol and give all power for Northern Ireland back to the UK government, who created and implemented the NI Protocol." Speaking before Westminster voted to ratify the Trade Agreement, Lord Empey (chairman of the Ulster Unionist Party) argued that the Protocol came about because the DUP had indicated acceptance of it. He said that he had "pointed out that, immediately this document was released, Arlene Foster and her DUP colleagues endorsed these proposals, describing them as 'a serious and sensible way forward'". In January 2021, graffiti reading "all border control post staff are targets" was painted onto a wall near Larne port. On 1 February, DAERA instructed Border Control Post staff in Larne and Belfast to "temporarily suspend" physical controls on Products of Animal Origin, pending talks with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), due to threats to the safety of staff. "Full documentary checks" continued as usual. ==2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election and subsequent vote on continuance==

At the election to the Northern Ireland Assembly in May 2022, parties opposed to the very principle of a distinct arrangement for Northern Ireland (the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) and two Independent Unionists) secured just 28 of the 90 seats. The position of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), which secured nine seats, is more measured: although opposed to the protocol as it stands, the party would accept it given significant changes. the cross-community support test was not achieved (which means that the Northern Ireland Office was required to undertake a review and that a further vote will be required in December 2028.) ==See also==