Michael Gove
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster“There will be no border down the Irish sea”
House of Commons, answering a question on customs checks during his statement on the future relationship with the EU. Source: Hansard
What happened
In July 2021 the minister responsible, Lord Frost, told the Lords that Northern Ireland was carrying out “20% of all the EU documentary checks on products of animal origin”. In February 2023 Rishi Sunak said the protocol had “treated goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland as if they were crossing an international customs border”.
Sources: Hansard, Lords, 21 July 2021 · Hansard, Commons, 27 February 2023