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Northern Ireland Protocol Is Legally Valid, UK Supreme Court Rules

  • The trade agreement is compatible with UK legislation
  • Ruling allows renegotiations around the protocol to continue
Belfast harbour in Northern Ireland, UK.

Belfast harbour in Northern Ireland, UK.

Photographer: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

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The Northern Ireland Protocol is valid and drawn up in line with UK legislation, the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday in a boost to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s embattled government.

The UK’s top court rejected the legal challenge from a disparate group of unionist lawmakers and Brexit supporters over the contentious agreement. The protocol, put in place to avoid a land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, doesn’t violate the UK’s constitution and the laws that bind Northern Ireland with the rest of the UK.