The Government’s intention to unilaterally suspend parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol is fraught with risk for Northern Ireland and the UK. Any necessary changes to the Protocol and Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) should instead be agreed through negotiation and the rebuilding of trust.

Mike Buckley writes on the need for a reasoned debate about where the Brexit deals have left us and what we might want to change when the opportunity arises.

Our co-chair Mike Clancy discussed our work on BBC Politics Live on 2 December 2021.

The prosperity and even the security of our country are menaced; there needs to be a coming together around feasible plans for better deals on mobility, on product safety and standards, on trade in services, on security and much else.

The Independent Commission on UK-EU relations will take evidence from experts and publish its findings ahead of the planned renegotiation of the Brexit trade and co-operation deal with the EU in 2024.

No review can take place without an evaluation of the situation so far. Time and hard work will be required to get to the point where the government of the day can enter negotiations armed with a decent grasp of what’s wrong and what needs to change to make it better.