Facts

In a debate on Brexit, Lord Frost told the House of Lords that “Brexit will be hugely in the interests of everybody in this country”.

Just two days later, Lord Frost published a paper that proposed dismantling key parts of the Northern Ireland protocol, which governs post-Brexit trade with Northern Ireland.

The introduction to the paper, written by Lord Frost and Brandon Lewis, said:

“The Protocol has not delivered on some of its other core objectives, notably the explicit commitments to protect Northern Ireland’s place in the UK internal market and to avoid disruption to everyday lives ... under its terms each and every movement is subject to the same extensive processes that are designed to manage third country trade into the EU.”

“That is leading to disruption to supply chains, increased costs, and reduced choice for consumers, and unnecessary boundaries that risk causing wholesale diversion of trade or economic damage in Northern Ireland. As a result, a situation has emerged that all sides find unsatisfactory.”

Verdict

Leaving aside the fact that many Britons insist the Brexit was not in their interest, Lord Frost’s claim that Brexit will be in everyone’s interest contradicts his own claims about the Northern Ireland protocol. The same rules apply to ministers speaking in the House of Lords as they do to ministers speaking in the House of Commons.

Frost’s remarks remain on the Hansard record in defiance of the Ministerial Code. When we offered Lord Frost the chance to comment on this verdict he did not reply.