Thread by @BestForBritain

We're following the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee this morning with @DavidGHFrost - follow this 🧵 for more...1/

.@DavidGHFrost confirms it was him in 2019 that negotiated the protocol in the first 5 minutes of this session, after first caveating his appearance & saying he isn't obliged to be here. Interesting, already defensive from Frost... 2/

"What assessment do you make...with regards the importance of political trust & business confidence in the robustness & reliability of a regulatory regime?"

"Stability & predictability an important element in business confidence" says @DavidGHFrost. Wow, such insight 🧐 3/

"Does the perpetual bubbling threat of the UK govt triggering article 16 assists...confidence & trust?"

Frost first says it's an "intellectual debate" (what a way to diminish real-life concerns), then blames the "unsatisfactoriness of the current situation" for instability. 4/

.@DavidGHFrost says the way the protocol is being operated is not "consistent with the intentions of us as negotiators."

Surely that just demonstrates what a hopeless negotiator you are, if you can't ensure that your "intentions" are written into the agreement you make? 5/

"Can you confirm that there are no constitutional impacts that flow from the NI protocol?" asks Simon Hoare. Asks it to be stated loud, proud & unambiguously.

"The protocol is 100% clear that nothing in it affects the territorial integrity or state responsibilities of the UK" 6/

"A few weeks ago your position was that the protocol was "unsustainable". But this morning you've said you need to make it "operational" & we've had ministers taking abt "implementing it in full". What is the govt's position?" asks Ian Paisley

Not sure that answer helps much 7/

The PM told businesses in my constituency they could "bin it" if they didn't like the NI protocol says @ianpaisleyuk referring to this moment from 2019 👇

Asks the timeline for a solution - "Because this can't go on much longer before something gives." 8/
news.sky.com/story/general-…

"I am seriously worried about the fabric of our society" says @ianpaisleyuk.

"We will not hesitate to invoke article 16" says @DavidGHFrost repeating PM's weekend words. "The EU's action in Jan set off a train of events which meant support for protocol has corroded rapidly." 9/

Strange @DavidGHFrost keeps blaming the EU's invoking of article 16 over vaccines in January (which was reversed within hours) as the source of problems with the protocol, when businesses have been saying for months issue is with new Brexit red tape. 10/

https://twitter.com/UKTradeBusiness/status/1397888567599407104

"The Commission has said the way forward (on SPS issues) is dynamic alignment" says @DavidGHFrost

Choosing to align with EU SPS rules WOULD be a sovereign UK decision and wouldn't compromise Brexit, argues @StephenFarryMP. 🔥🔥🔥 11/

💥@StephenFarryMP takes down Frost's assertion that choosing dynamic alignment with EU standards would threaten UK sovereignty💥 12/

"Is it correct the EU is prepared to accept a temporary arrangement (on SPS)?" asks @StephenFarryMP.

"They claim such an arrangement could be negotiated within a couple of weeks" says @DavidGHFrost which he 'doubts'. Something to do with HIS lack of political will? 13/

Frost's complete lack of interest in engaging with the EU on a veterinary agreement will be tough to hear for the witnesses from @UKTradeBusiness session last week. 14/

https://twitter.com/UKTradeBusiness/status/1402990815396335623

.@StephenFarryMP pushes Frost on comments from the Biden administration that they don't see any obstacle to a UK-US trade deal were the UK to reach a veterinary agreement with the EU. 15/

"The difficulty is the EU keeps applying SPS rules that are designed for global third-country trade to the very different circumstances of NI where we operate virtually the same rules" says @DavidGHFrost.

The British exceptionalism of this from Frost is just astounding... 16/

"The UK has, on numerous occasions, breached terms of the protocol, & also raised uncertainties regarding its future intentions around the protocol" says @StephenFarryMP - there's a real lack of trust & bad faith.

Frost says this isn't 'relevant' to current discussion?!?!?!? 17/

Frost disputes that an SPS agreement would dispense with 80% of agrifood checks and controls on goods crossing the Irish Sea and says it's the EU's figure.

Maybe he should watch the @UKTradeBusiness session from last week. 18/

https://twitter.com/UKTradeBusiness/status/1402917356343418882

Frost says that British people should be confident the UK government will uphold our current food standards as it's a manifesto promise.

Simon Hoare gently points out that maintaining the aid budget at 0.7% of GNI was also a manifesto promise...so it's not a great defence. 19/

.@DavidGHFrost says they have asked the EU to extend the grace period on chilled meats for "a bit" to allow discussions to continue, and he holds out hope they will agree to that. "If we can't agree it we'll have to consider all our options. It does seem to us...very purist." 20/

"I believe the decision we took to extend grace periods in March was reassuring" for loyalists who feel abandoned by the protocol, says Frost.

He says EU is "overreacting" by launching legal proceedings - bc the UK's never threatened to break international law before 👀21/

"EU law requires higher levels of checks than those we can conduct in the current customs & borders facilities." says @DavidGHFrost

Openly admits current checks don't meet EU regulations but "we're confident we're protecting the single market." Not our call to make, surely? 22/

Will tariff reimbursement still be in place at the end of the year, asks Robert Goodwill?

"We are working on that" says Frost.

There are GB companies exporting to Europe who have found the process of tariff reimbursement too difficult, esp. smaller companies, says RG. 23/

"Do you understand that it can't be exactly the same as it was before Brexit, and you understand that there are people who are conceptually unhappy with any divergence, and do you understand that those two things are mutually exclusive?" fiery from @ClaireHanna 24/

Illuminating session of the NI Affairs Committee. Frost says there's still time to avert the UK invoking unilateral action.

He wants feedback from EU on its SPS/trusted trader scheme and has asked EU to extend 30 June end of grace period for chilled meats.

We'll see. /ENDS