Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Whatever about a change in tone from the British Administration, which of course is welcome after six years of Brexit uncertainty and two years of threats to break international law, what intervention will the Government undertake in respect of the protocol legislation? It was championed in the first instance by Liz Truss and I understand it is to go to a second reading in the House of Lords on 11 October. What use will be made of the British–Irish Intergovernmental Conference in this regard? It is the only remaining strand of the Good Friday Agreement architecture which is actually working. I believe it will meet in London on Friday. What will the Taoiseach's message be to the British Government? I believe he needs to call on it to match its words with deeds, to stop this destructive legislation in its tracks and to prevail upon the Democratic Unionist Party to return to the Executive, at a time when people are suffering egregiously in the cross hairs of the cost-of-living crisis.

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