United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020

[F1 45C Further protections in respect of Northern Ireland’s place in the UK internal market U.K.

(1) Article 6 of the Windsor Framework makes provision about the facilitation of trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.

(2) Accordingly, in addition to the provisions mentioned in sections 45A and 45B, this Act makes provision for the purpose of facilitating that trade through (among other things)—

(a) the mutual recognition principle for goods and the non-discrimination principle for goods applying to the sale of goods in Northern Ireland in accordance with and subject to the provisions of Part 1, including provisions affecting the application of those principles mentioned in the words in brackets in section 11(1);

(b) section 46 setting out the matters to which appropriate authorities must have special regard when exercising a function for a relevant purpose, including the need to maintain Northern Ireland’s integral place in the United Kingdom’s internal market and the need to facilitate the free flow of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland with the aims mentioned in section 46(1)(c); and

(c) section 46A making provision conferring power on the Secretary of State to issue guidance to assist the appropriate authorities in the exercise of their duty under section 46(1).

(3) In subsection (2)(a), the reference to the sale of goods in Northern Ireland includes the sale in Northern Ireland of goods which are subject to provisions of Part 2 of the Windsor Framework (Retail Movement Scheme: Public Health, Marketing, Organic Product Standards and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2023, which applies to the extent that any provision listed in Annex 1 to the SPS Regulation does not apply by virtue of Article 1(2) and Chapter 2 of the SPS Regulation.

(4) In subsection (3), “SPS Regulation” has the same meaning as in those Regulations.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Ss. 45A-45C inserted (20.2.2024) by The Windsor Framework (UK Internal Market and Unfettered Access) Regulations 2024 (S.I. 2024/163), regs. 1(2), 2(2)