The Northern Ireland Protocol and Windsor Framework are a constitutional boil that should be lanced at the first opportunity. It strangles trade between two parts of the UK and drives a wedge between two UK communities. Thus, leading to the current gridlock over power sharing in Stormont.

But the Tory government, as naively optimistic as ever, have come up with what they see as the solution.

And that is to re-name the Windsor Framework ‘Green Lane’. The Green Lane being for goods from the UK that will stay in Northern Ireland and not move on into the EU single market, so attracting fewer checks.

They want to rename it as the ‘UK Internal Market Lane’.

Well, WOW! Makes you want to weep!

It’s akin to the London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, changing the name of his ULEZ scheme into the Car Owning Enhancement Programme. That is to say, it’s a blatant lie.

The reality is that the Green Lane should be renamed the “EU border fast track for certain accepted UK goods”.

I really do wish that the EU put as much effort into controlling its external borders and English Channel beaches as it puts into the new Irish Sea border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

However, the swiftest route to remedying this sorry situation, is to ditch the protocol and the Windsor Framework entirely.

Lester Taylor

UK Independence Party spokesman for The United Kingdom