Britain | Still knotty

Is the Windsor framework in Northern Ireland working?

The new rules soften the Irish Sea border, but do not make it disappear

Image: Alamy
|Belfast and Larne

The Windsor framework was agreed on in February, but its first practical test came at the start of this month. The deal—negotiated by Rishi Sunak, the British prime minister, and Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president—set up green and red lanes for goods passing from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. Green lanes are for goods that will stay in the province, and impose only minimal customs checks on trusted traders. Red lanes, for goods that might cross the land border with Ireland (and so enter the EU), involve more rigorous inspections.

Explore more

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Still knotty”

From the October 28th 2023 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Britain

Crew members during the commissioning of HMS Prince of Wales

Has the Royal Navy become too timid?

A new paper examines how its culture has changed

A pedestrian walks across the town square in Stevenage

A plan to reorganise local government in England runs into opposition

Turkeys vote against Christmas


David Lammy, Britain’s foreign secretary

David Lammy’s plan to shake up Britain’s Foreign Office

Diplomats will be tasked with growing the economy and cutting migration


Britain’s government has spooked markets and riled businesses

Tax rises were inevitable. Such a shaky start was not

Labour’s credibility trap

Who can believe Rachel Reeves?