Dear Readers,
A quiet but consequential battle is taking place over the soul of Brexit and the constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom, and its time for patriots across the UK to stand and be counted.
On 10th January 2025, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland commissioned a review of the Windsor Framework, chaired by former Labour Secretary of State Lord Murphy. This review follows the first majority vote on a matter of great controversy at Stormont (10 December) for over fifty years!
The Windsor Framework, partitioning the UK, was passed despite every unionist Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly voting against, something that would have blocked the vote had the Good Friday Agreement cross-community consent requirement been upheld. This key provision was suspended only because the EU objected to it, even as they had the gall to claim that the Irish Sea border was vital for protecting the Good Friday Agreement!
This is not simply a matter for Northern Ireland. It is a matter for every corner of our Union, and every supporter of Brexit.
Now is the moment to act. The Murphy Review is accepting written submissions from the public until 31 May 2025.
Your voice, however brief, could make the difference in exposing what has become one of the most cynical distortions of both Brexit and the Good Friday Agreement.
Why You Should Respond
1. The Windsor Framework Is Undermining Brexit
The Windsor Framework, presented as a “solution” to the NI Protocol, has created an internal border in the Irish Sea. It subjects Northern Ireland to EU law in 300 different areas, with no say and no vote from UK lawmakers. This fundamentally denies Brexit in Northern Ireland and undermines it in Great Britain, as the pressure mounts to “align” GB laws with the EU laws imposed on Northern Ireland to preserve “UK unity”—a unity which is being unpicked by stealth.
2. The Good Friday Agreement Has Been Violated
The greatest irony, and deception, is the claim that the Framework “protects” the Good Friday Agreement. In truth, it rips out one of its central pillars: cross-community consent. Without this safeguard, devolution becomes unstable. Peace becomes politicised. And Northern Ireland’s unionist community is left without democratic defence in the face of constitutional upheaval.
3. Your Voice Counters Their Spin
This review was only triggered because the UK Government removed the consent safeguard. Now, they hope that most people won’t notice. Worse still, they’ll attempt to spin the responses to claim “public support” for what is, in reality, a constitutional betrayal. Your response robs them of that fig leaf.
4. Stand with Northern Ireland—as it Has Stood with Us
Northern Ireland is a critical part of the UK, providing our country with a steely resilience and determination. The partitioning of the UK dividing Great Britain from Northern Ireland, as if we are to become the new East and West Germany is a national issue. A blow to one part of the United Kingdom is a blow to all. If we want to keep the UK whole, we must act together.
What Happened—and Why It Matters
Let’s be clear: the UK Government’s 2020 decision to suspend cross-community consent was not a technical tweak. It was a direct removal of a constitutional safeguard enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement.
They did it because they knew that no unionist would ever consent to a legal framework that cedes sovereignty to the EU and creates a border between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
Having removed that safeguard, the UK Government staged a vote—knowing full well it would pass by majority but fail the test of community consensus. As expected, every unionist MLA voted no. And yet the Framework passed. To cover up this constitutional vandalism, they triggered this review, hoping it would act as a salve to the growing unrest.
But no review can paper over the fact that cross community consent – a central provision of the Good Friday Agreement – was abandoned—not respected. In this the Windsor Framework violates itself because its Article 1(3) says it exists to “protect the Good Friday Agreement in all its dimensions”! It fails this promise at every turn.
What to Say in Your Submission
Your message doesn’t need to be long or legalistic. It can be a few lines or a full page. What matters is your voice. Key points to consider:
- The removal of cross-community consent violates the Good Friday Agreement and destabilises Northern Ireland.
- The Windsor Framework disenfranchises 1.9 million UK citizens in 300 areas of law. (They can no longer stand for election to make the laws to which they are subject in these areas)
- Partitioning the UK internally—East/West across the Irish Sea—is constitutionally unacceptable.
- The Framework’s legal basis in Article 1 and Article 16 is being breached by the operation of the Windsor Framework.
- This review should not be used to justify or legitimise these violations—but to reverse them. Mutual Enforcement would provide an alternative border solution that wouldn’t partition the UK, disenfranchise UK citizens or violate the Good Friday Agreement.
Please submit your response here before 31 May
Conclusion: A Defining Moment for the Union and Brexit
This is a pivotal moment for our country.
Brexit was about reclaiming sovereignty, not just for some, but for every part of the United Kingdom. The Windsor Framework has carved out an exception, treating one part of our nation as if it were still within the EU.
The Good Friday Agreement was about peace through balance and consent. That balance has been broken. That consent has been cast aside.
This review is our chance, perhaps the only one we will get, to call out what is happening, and to demand that the Government restore constitutional integrity, uphold Brexit, and respect the people of Northern Ireland.
Please respond today, and ask your friends to do the same. The future of our Union and the legacy of Brexit depend on it.
Submit here: Independent Review of the Windsor Framework – Call for Evidence
Deadline: 31 May 2025
Like this:
Like Loading…