Commenting, Carla Lockhart said:

“This is an important staging post in the process towards making this Bill effective law.

This legislation can address the concerns we have raised repeatedly with the Government in regard to the NI Protocol. It is welcome that despite the best efforts of the SDLP, Alliance, and others to wreck this Bill, the Bill has passed the House without amendment.

It is important that the House of Lords do not seek changes to the Bill, but rather recognise that the Bill as presented offers a pathway that can address the extremely damaging impact the Protocol is having on Northern Ireland. That impact is felt economically and politically, and must be rectified. If it is, then the pathway to a restoration of the devolved institutions is clear. We want to get to that point as soon as possible, and we trust that others will not put obstacles in the road to that destination.

The DUP remain firm in our stance that until this Bill completes the legislative process, then we cannot have that fully functioning devolution we all desire. The internal market of the UK must be restored, and the integrity of the Union respected. We await the Bill returning to the House of Commons in the future and in the meantime we will continue to engage with MPs and Lords from across the parties to win more support for the Bill.”