Unionist politicians in Northern Ireland have formally asked the UK government to trigger the Stormont Brake to block changes to European Union customs rules applying in the region.

Assembly Speaker Edwin Poots wrote to Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant in early November after unionist MLAs asked the UK to pull the brake over the EU customs code overhaul. It was signed by members of the Democratic Unionist Party, the Ulster Unionist Party, Traditional Unionist Voice and independent unionist Claire Sugden, the Assembly confirmed.

Sir Chris Bryant must now decide whether the statutory tests have been met. Created under the 2023 Windsor Framework, the mechanism lets Stormont object to amended EU rules still applying in Northern Ireland under arrangements designed to avoid a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. It can only be deployed if at least 30 MLAs from two or more parties support the objection.

The objection relates to a major overhaul of the EU customs code, Regulation (EU) 2026/2108, intended to digitise and streamline customs processes across the European Union. Unionist leaders say the new code deepens the Irish Sea customs border. Ulster Unionist leader Jon Burrows said his party had raised concerns about it for well over a year, while TUV leader Jim Allister said it was absolutely right for unionists to pull the brake together.

This is only the second time the Stormont Brake has been invoked. The Assembly's Windsor Framework committee found last month that the changed rules would not significantly affect the everyday life of Northern Ireland communities in a way liable to persist. If the Secretary of State judges the tests are met, the UK would notify the EU, triggering intensified consultation in the Windsor Framework Joint Committee. Read the full report in the London Daily News.