The results of the investigation will prove embarrassing for Boris Johnson, whose ministers introduced highly controversial legislation in the Commons to circumvent parts of a mutually agreed legal mechanism designed to prevent a return to a hard border in Ireland. Lawmakers backed the bill in a vote in the Commonwealth on Monday night, despite the prospect of imposing trade tariffs in the UK following a lawsuit. Earlier this month, the EU announced that it was raising legal issues and renewed a lawsuit it had previously dropped against the UK government for failing to implement the protocol and taking the decision to suspend parts of it unilaterally. The results of the poll will turn out to be unpleasant for the Democratic Unionist Party, which opposes the protocol and in protest refuses to sit in Stormont, which means that no new executive has been appointed since the May election, where Sinn Fein became the largest party for the first time. A survey by Lucid Talk on behalf of Queen’s University Belfast reveals that 55 per cent of respondents consider the protocol to be appropriate for managing the impact of Brexit in Northern Ireland – up from 47 per cent in 2021, while 38 per cent disagree. About 55 per cent of respondents also believe that the protocol has positive economic consequences for Northern Ireland, while 65 per cent believe it offers unique economic opportunities that could benefit Northern Ireland. The biggest concerns are its political implications – with 59 per cent believing the protocol has a negative impact on political stability and UK-Ireland relations. However, the percentage believed to be weakening the Northern Ireland position in the United Kingdom, including the UK internal market, has dropped to 46%, less than in previous polls. Respondents to the poll were asked six sets of questions about their stance on Brexit and the Protocol. Key findings include:

  • Just over a third (36 percent) of respondents are not concerned about the full operational scope and impact of the Protocol.
  • The UK government is by far the most skeptical (84 per cent distrustful, 55 per cent strongly) and the least credible of all. Only 5 per cent of respondents trusted the UK government.
  • Voters in Northern Ireland are more willing (47 percent) to trust (43 percent) the European Commission / EU.
  • The majority of respondents (57 per cent) do not believe that the UK Government is justified in taking unilateral action to suspend Protocol data and 55 per cent believe that the EU would be justified in retaliation against such measures.
  • The clear majority of respondents (74 per cent) would prefer to see the United Kingdom and the EU reach an agreement on the implementation of the Protocol by the UK taking unilateral action.
  • Slightly more than half of respondents (52 percent) are in favor of MLA continuing to implement the Protocol. The long-negotiated protocol keeps Northern Ireland more closely aligned with EU standards and was agreed by Boris Johnson and the European Commission as a way to prevent customs controls and border infrastructure between the province and the Republic of Ireland, according to the Friday that led to the end of the problems. Instead, in an effort to protect the European single market, the two sides agreed to carry out checks on goods traveling between Britain and Northern Ireland. The move was rejected by the DUP, which insists the mechanism undermines Northern Ireland’s position in the United Kingdom. Professor David Phinnemore of the Queen’s School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics, who commissioned the poll, said: “This latest poll also shows that the Protocol is in favor of the two “The voters would very much prefer the outstanding issues between the United Kingdom and the EU to be resolved by agreement rather than by unilateral action by the United Kingdom Government.” About 1,497 voters in Northern Ireland took part in the poll, which took place from 3 to 6 June. It is the fifth in a series of polls conducted for researchers at QUB as part of a three-year program. During a debate in the Commonwealth on Monday, Theresa May launched a humiliating attack on her successor, saying “as a patriot” she could not support his legislation to unilaterally repeal large parts of the protocol. He said it was illegal under international law, would not achieve its goals and would reduce Britain’s position in the world. Her comments to lawmakers were a response to Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who had earlier told the public that she had introduced the Northern Ireland Protocol bill because it was home. “Our No. 1 priority is to protect peace and political stability in Northern Ireland by protecting the Belfast Good Friday Agreement,” Tras told lawmakers. Labor Party’s David Lamy said three years ago, Johnson told lawmakers he had secured a good deal that protects the Good Friday Agreement and that “the government is taking a disastrous toll on its own deal.”