During the Westminster debate, the DUP MP issued a damning indictment of the government’s continued inaction and disregard for the economic and constitutional realities facing her constituents.
 
Ms Lockhart said: “The Protocol and Windsor Framework continue to fail the people of Northern Ireland on a daily basis. This failure is not anecdotal; it is measurable, documented and deeply felt. I say this with sincerity: it is a bureaucratic burden, a constitutional compromise, and for many of our people and businesses, an economic noose.
 
“The Secretary of State and the government cannot continue to keep their heads in the sand, thinking that the problems that we highlight are all exaggerated and unimportant. Consumers, businesses, farmers, hauliers and animal health professionals are all affected. Every sector is highlighting the daily struggles associated with the framework and calling for help from the government they pay their taxes to.”
 
The MP added: “The reality remains that Northern Ireland is subject to EU laws in more than 300 areas—laws that we have no democratic say over, or no way of changing. These nonsensical laws are creating burdensome and costly checks that no other part of the UK has to endure.”

“The Windsor Framework was sold as a solution. It was never a solution! It is a glossed-up version of the Protocol with a new name, but contains the same poison. Initially, it raised hope among businesses in Northern Ireland, but has delivered dismay, frustration and additional costly trading barriers.
 
“I have always been critical of the government’s approach to Northern Ireland when it comes to Brexit, be it under the previous or the current government. I never believed the spin and promises, because at every-turn promises have been broken, and there has been no desire to resolve even the most-simple problems created by the Windsor Framework.”
 
Ms Lockhart continued: “I commend the Federation of Small Businesses for its courage in producing an exceptional report. Many so-called industry leaders are all too often caught up in the spin and do not actually reflect their membership’s concerns.

“Yet the FSB’s latest report lays bare the truth: 58% of businesses face moderate to significant challenges, and more than one third have stopped trading with GB altogether, rather than deal with the mountain of paperwork. This is not frictionless trade. It is not the ‘best of both worlds’. It is best only for the EU.”
 
The party’s Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs spokesperson added: “Let me quantify the problems with real examples:

“A forestry business in my constituency urgently needed machine parts. They were delayed coming from Scotland via next-day delivery, leaving workers idle and costly machines unused.

“A children’s boutique was hit with a £205 duty and VAT invoice for delivery of goods from GB.

“We have also seen used agricultural machinery, visually clean and immaculate, only road driven, being turned away at our ports unless scrubbed to EU standards and accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate. One dealer has had to comply with four separate pieces of paperwork just to move a single tractor. Meanwhile, GB and Republic of Ireland dealers face none of that.

“An engineering firm supporting major Northern Ireland manufacturers said that its key selling point was rapid response. It is now impossible to say that, because of the delays and trade barriers.
 
‘In addition, we now have a pending blow to animal health. From January 2026, the government is prepared to implement EU law in full on veterinary medicines, shutting out GB-based suppliers unless they jump through impossible hoops. Pet shops, farmers and even charities are now in the firing line.”
 
Concluding, Carla Lockhart MP said: “The Windsor Framework is unacceptable and unworkable. The current situation is death by a thousand cuts, and the government is not even pretending to stop the bleeding.

“GB firms confirm that it is easier to export to Japan than to Northern Ireland. The reality is that we have farmers who cannot move livestock; horticulturists who cannot bring in trees and seed potatoes; and families who no longer get parcels from GB retailers, because more than 90 major suppliers no longer deliver to Northern Ireland.

“There is every reason to act. The two main ones being that there are now economic implications, as per the FSB report, and there is a clear diversion of trade. It is time for the government to step-up and act on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland and the businesses that are impacted.”