His remarks are reminiscent of a phrase often attributed to Margaret Thatcher – that Northern Ireland is “as British as Finchley”. (However, in a recent PhD thesis at the University of Ulster, Dr Fiona McKelvey notes that what Thatcher actually said in Parliament in November 1981 was that “Northern Ireland is as much a part of the United Kingdom as my constituency ” – and that this was “commonly paraphrased and referred to as ‘Northern Ireland is as British as Finchley’”). BELFAST PACIFIER: NOV 1987 BRITISH SOLDIERS PICTURED ON THE SOUTH ARMACH BORDER AS THEY CARRY OUT A WEEK-LONG SEARCH OF THE AREA Also, MP John Barron told Mr Smart the EU was “playing with fire” and risked returning to disarray amid building “frustration” among unionists over the Irish Sea border. ‘IS THE PROTOCOL PRIORITY?’: An ex-soldier originally from south-east London, Mr Cleverley has been MP for Braintree in Essex since 2015. He is also a former deputy chairman of the Tory Party. Asked by Tory colleague Greg Smith how “how high a priority” the Protocol was for Mr Smart, given his remit is external relations that cover the whole world, the foreign secretary said: “It’s up there – it’s in step. Braintree in Essex also circled James Cleverly “Because it is about the Union. This is about our country. It is not a regional trade issue. “There’s a lot of complicated legal stuff that I have to refer to in my notes and tap my employees on the shoulder to remind me of their intricacies. “That’s true on one level. “But at the most fundamental level it is about recognizing that Northern Ireland is an integral part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, just like Braintree in North Essex. “Northern Ireland. North Essex. It’s part of the United Kingdom. That’s really important. “Because if its history, of course, Northern Ireland has a unique relationship with Ireland. “And we want to protect all elements of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, including that connectivity with Ireland, as well as connectivity with the rest of the United Kingdom… “That makes it a notch more complicated. “But at the heart of it, it’s about making sure that every part of the UK, including Northern Ireland, is effectively like that.” ‘DOING EVERYTHING HUMANLY POSSIBLE FOR A DEAL?’: Mr Smart was also asked if the Government had done “everything humanly possible” to reach a negotiated deal with the EU, rather than taking unilateral action to short-circuit the Protocol. Arguably the main tool for doing this is the much-hyped Protocol Bill now before Parliament. It operates on the assumption that negotiations with the EU have broken down and that the UK has no course of action but to act alone to undermine the Protocol. The bill would give UK ministers powers to override key parts of the Protocol they find problematic. But, more importantly, the bill does not compel them to do so – and in any case, it faces an uphill battle before it becomes law, with Labor and some Tories opposing it. “I don’t think it would be a surprise to the committee to hear that the European Commission doesn’t like the NI protocol bill,” Mr Smart said. “We know this is not a ‘maternity and apple pie’ bill. We know it’s hard to overcome… “We are committed to getting a solution to this, either through the bill or through negotiation. “We will go both ways.” ‘DO YOU THINK THE EU IS TRYING TO PUNISH US?’: Fellow Tory MP John Baron deplored the “hard line” the EU was taking on imposing border controls on British goods at Norwegian ports. “A lorry full of pork pies from Lancashire, a Sainsbury’s lorry, heading to Northern Ireland (they don’t have Sainsbury’s south of the border so you’re sure it will stay in NI) still has to complete hundreds of pages of documentatio,” he said . “I mean, this is completely blown out of proportion. He’s not in good spirits. He’s showing very little goodwill… “Potatoes and plants, etc. [have] now, suddenly, from the UK, they have become more dangerous! It’s nonsense. “Do you think the EU is trying to punish us for Brexit in these negotiations?” That was “obvious,” said a voice from somewhere around the conference table. “I can’t make a window to people’s souls,” replied Mr. Cleverly. “I don’t believe the people I’m dealing with are trying to punish us.” Mr. Baron spoke again. “Some of us think you are charitable,” he said. “I served in Northern Ireland during the Troubles in the 1980s. “There were losses on both sides. But deep sacrifices were made there… “What effort are you making to argue to the EU that they are playing with fire with this disproportionate, heavy-handed approach to the NI Protocol and could lead to street violence in a major way?” Mr Smart replied: “In the conversations I have had, everyone wants to ensure we keep the peace in NI. “I think this desire is absolutely genuine and it is heartfelt. “We are constantly reminding the EU that this is not just a trade-related technical issue. “This really goes to the heart of how people feel, about their sense of identity and about Northern Ireland’s place in the UK.”
