Thread by @hayward_katy

*Thank you* for every tweet & supportive msg re: the slurs on my academic integrity

I'm not important, but information, evidence & facts are.

In honour of that, here's a🧵correcting false claims in @bbcquestiontime on #Protocol [16:22-38:50] #bbcqt
1/22
bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod…

There were statements made that some will disagree with or view v. differently.

& Each panellist @RobertBuckland @peterkyle @johnfinucane @little_pengelly @naomi_long made some statements that were true.

No need for me to repeat those ones, with two interesting exceptions…
2/

@little_pengelly claimed @allianceparty had called for "rigorous implementation" of the Protocol [33:05]

As @naomi_long said, it was re: UKG previous intention to break intl law in Sept 20

NB the phrase was used by *4* party leaders & @MarosSefcovic
3/
reuters.com/article/uk-bri…

I also factchecked @johnfinucane [24:38] claim that @J_Donaldson_MP said customs controls don’t change constitutional status.

Here is the clip of him saying it, & talking about potential opportunities for NI from the Protocol.
#spotlightni [Mar 2020]
4/

https://twitter.com/BBCSpotlightNI/status/1234980955825176576

Now onto the claims that proved untrue🤧

Claim 1: For over two years, this issue [Protocol] has been ignored by the EU, by London, by Brussels. “There hasn’t been solutions put forward” [17:45]

Check: UKGov & EU Commission in past year alone have published the following...
5/

...on problems & potential #solutions:

21 July 2021 UKG Command Paper assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/upl…

27 July 2021 European Commission revised paper containing examples of flexibilities

ec.europa.eu/info/sites/def…

+ 'non-paper' on medicines ec.europa.eu/info/sites/def…

6/

+ 27 July 2021 EU non-paper on SPS measures
ec.europa.eu/info/sites/def…

13 October 2021 EU 'non-paper' on customs
ec.europa.eu/info/files/pro…

& SPS [agri/food]
ec.europa.eu/info/files/pro…

medicines &
ec.europa.eu/info/files/pro…

& stakeholder engagement.
ec.europa.eu/info/files/pro…
...

7/

+ In Feb 2022 the EU presented #factsheets on its proposals:
ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/…

In April 22 it presented a factsheet on the solution found to medicines
ec.europa.eu/info/sites/def…

In May 22 @trussliz made a statement on problems & another solution -
gov.uk/government/spe…
8/

Claim 2. "About 90% of the Protocol isn’t even in place yet" [18:09]

Check: Here's an overview of the articles of the Protocol @PostBrexitGovNI

All of them are in force but it's the detail of the 7 annexes that brings the impact; they contain the EU rules that apply in NI

9/

In principle all these are in effect, but there were unilateral declarations negotiated & agreed at Joint Committee meeting 17 Dec 2020.

These are unusual in intl law but were agreed "to ensure an orderly, consensual approach to... implementation”
ec.europa.eu/commission/pre…
10/

They're known as grace periods 👼

Here’s a summary of the big 3 from @commonslibrary 👇
+ There are elements UKG hasn't implemented, e.g. customs declarations on parcels

Technical UK-EU talks since last Sept hv in theory been trying to find soft landing out of grace periods
11/

Claim 3. "When you look at what this means if there was to be full implementation...
Look at the EU report of June 2021... 🛃
Personal luggage would be checked... 🧳
Huge amount of goods would not be able to come here without huge swathes of paperwork & costs..." 🚫[18:20]

12/

Check: There was no EU report June 21 of this nature.

The best guess is either its technical note of Apr 20
ec.europa.eu/info/sites/def…

Or else the pre-TCA EU guidance of Nov/Dec 2020 on travelling between the EU & UK after Brexit
ec.europa.eu/info/sites/def…

From these we see -
13/

In some areas, e.g. customs, EU rules apply for GB into NI mvnt

For details of what applies now follow this link👇

All commercial goods must be declared but no checks & controls on personal baggage, except that cash over £10,000 should be declared💰
gov.uk/guidance/tradi…
14/

Claim 4. It would "hit like a tsunami in the Autumn if we don’t get this addressed". Costs will grow. Choice will be limited [18:40]

Check: Thanks to UK-EU agmt in Sept 21 to keep talking, the grace periods are continuing to be in effect with no deadline, even this Autumn.

15/

If they end without agmt & there's full implementation without mitigations, there wd be a rise in costs in some products, mainly agri-food because of incrd cert requirements.

Choice of most products wd not be affected, tho chilled [not frozen] GB meat products wd be banned.

16/

I queried the 'tsunami' phrase cos many retailers hv adapted to maintain supplies & reduce friction already e.g. bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northe…

& some local producers are doing well replacing GB products
belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/brexi…

But flexibilities are needed where biz can't adjust.

17/

Claim 5. "£500m per year spent on paperwork by the Trader Support Service" [19:10]

Check: TSS was estd by UKG as customs service for NI biz bringing in GB goods. 2yr contract to Fujitsu-led consortium.

An FOI revealed TSS overall cost to be c.£327m.
whatdotheyknow.com/request/737685…
18/

Claim 6."The medicines issue still isn’t sorted out" [19:20]
"Not able to get access to meds from...GB" [33:22]
"still waiting on resolution from EU on life saving meds for NI" [34:42]

Check: 12Apr'22 EU changed its legislation to ensure GB-NI supply
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northe…
19/

Claim 7. Somebody with a guide dog is not able to bring that dog from GB to NI [33:18]

Check: GB-NI pet mvnt is under a grace period.
Never a ban, but GB pets wd need animal health cert.
EU proposed fix for guide dogs June'21, working on details w/NI
20/
researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-…

Claim 8. The mechanisms set up in order to negotiate how the Protocol could work are just not coming together [19:48]

Check: Here's an overview @PostBrexitGovNI of the mechanisms. JCWG meets monthly & communicates weekly.
+ my critique of their 1st yr
21/
cambridge.org/core/books/law…

And that, as they say, is that 🙌

Apologies for v.long thread. Worth doing properly.
Thank you for following it.

If you want info, analysis & updates on the #Protocol, this is the website for you (H/T @DPhinnemore @LisaClaireWhit1 @BillyMeloAraujo)
qub.ac.uk/sites/post-bre…
22/22

Happy to correct this.

DG Sante performed an inspection of customs & SPS controls on goods entering NI. Here is the report.

For some reason it wasn't much publicised.
ec.europa.eu/food/audits-an…