Trigger Article 16. We want unfettered GB-NI Trade.
The Parliament petitions site records 144,632 signatures for this petition, which closed on 4 August 2021. The Government responded on 22 February 2021. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 22 February 2021.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Trigger Article 16. We want unfettered GB-NI Trade.
Her Majesty's Government must immediately remove any impediment or barrier to unfettered trade within the United Kingdom.
After just one month, Northern Ireland is suffering real economic and societal difficulties as a consequence of the Northern Ireland Protocol operating and creating new barriers to unfettered trade within the United Kingdom and disrupting supply lines of goods to Northern Ireland.
The Government should use all the powers it has to move urgently to protect UK trade and to ensure all UK goods and produce can freely flow to and from every part of the United Kingdom.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 22 February 2021; the petitions site lists the Cabinet Office as responsible. Its summary:
The UK is working to address outstanding issues with the Protocol - putting the interests of the people of Northern Ireland first, and considering all avenues necessary to do so.
The opening 328 words of the 497-word response:
The Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland was agreed as a unique solution to the issues arising from the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. It aims at upholding the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in all its aspects; safeguarding Northern Ireland’s integral place in the United Kingdom, its customs territory and internal market; and preventing a hard border on the island of Ireland.
In order to do so, it must be given effect in a pragmatic and proportionate way: one which effectively implements the guarantee in the Protocol itself of unfettered access from Northern Ireland to the rest of the United Kingdom, and which maintains the effective flow of trade from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
This has been the basis on which the UK Government has and will continue to give effect to its obligations under the Protocol: providing the basis for goods to move effectively between Great Britain and Northern Ireland; and providing extensive support to traders, for example through the Trader Support Service and Movement Assistance Scheme, to adapt to new requirements. In particular, working closely with businesses and individuals right across Northern Ireland, steps have been taken to address issues that emerged after 1 January this year, for example practical mitigations on groupage; on steel movements; and to maintain the operation of the VAT margin scheme.
On 29 January, however, the EU’s invocation of Article 16 and attempt to impose processes related to the border on the island of Ireland, however quickly withdrawn and replaced, caused shock and anger right across Northern Ireland and indeed beyond. This has significantly undermined the operation of the Protocol and cross community confidence in it.
It is therefore right and urgent that steps are taken to address concerns raised about the operation of the Protocol. This is necessary to restore confidence and reflect the commitment in the Protocol itself to ensure that its application should impact as little as possible on the everyday life of communities in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 6,323, came from Upper Bann.
143,519 of the signatures were from the UK and 1,113 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Upper Bann | 6,323 |
| Lagan Valley | 5,935 |
| North Antrim | 5,913 |
| Strangford | 5,503 |
| North Down | 5,454 |
| Belfast East | 5,413 |
| East Antrim | 5,256 |
| South Antrim | 4,907 |
| Belfast North | 4,744 |
| Fermanagh and South Tyrone | 4,383 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 75,831 |
| South East | 9,789 |
| North West | 7,728 |
| Scotland | 6,960 |
| South West | 6,423 |
| East of England | 6,297 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 5,575 |
| West Midlands | 5,488 |
| East Midlands | 5,037 |
| London | 4,822 |
| North East | 3,367 |
| Wales | 3,193 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 22 February 2021. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/573209.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
d9f46be9777d4dcf… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.