The violent protests we’ve seen in Northern Ireland have become extremely serious and are a reminder of the work needed to build lasting peace after years of conflict. 

A central factor behind the anger in Unionist communities’ is the Prime Minister’s negligence towards Northern Ireland and his duplicitous approach to the border checks he negotiated between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.  

As a Shadow Brexit Minister I consistently pointed that there have only ever been three options as we left the EU: all-UK alignment with the customs union and the single market, a land border between north and south, or a border in the Irish Sea. The Prime Minister chose the sea border, but then lied about the checks that he signed up to in the Northern Ireland Protocol.  

I made this point to the Northern Ireland Secretary today, when Parliament discussed the situation, and asked him whether he thought the Prime Minister either did not understand the agreement he had signed, or did not care about telling the truth.  

You can watch the clip here or read it here.