London rejects N.Irish unionist request to use emergency brake on EU label law

BELFAST (Reuters) - The British government on Monday rejected an attempt by Northern Ireland unionist politicians to trigger the "Stormont Brake", a post-Brexit emergency mechanism to stop the application of a piece of European Union law in the British-run region.

The Democratic Unionist Party and Ulster Unionist Party, both committed to keeping the province in the United Kingdom, asked to trigger the mechanism for the first time last month for EU rules on the packaging and labelling of chemicals.

Northern Ireland remained in the EU single market for goods when the rest of the UK left the European Union. The aim was to keep open the politically sensitive border with EU-member Ireland, but this required specific arrangements to limit frictions in the province's trade with Britain across the Irish Sea.

Under the February 2023 Windsor Framework, London was given the power to stop the amendments to EU law being applied in Northern Ireland if at least a third of lawmakers from at least two parties in Belfast's regional assembly requested it.

Under the agreement, the British government must judge whether the contested rule would have "a significant impact specific to everyday life of communities in Northern Ireland in a way that is liable to persist".

It can then only be subsequently applied if the UK and the EU agree to do so - either with the support of Northern Irish politicians, if they are satisfied it would not create a new regulatory border between Britain and Northern Ireland, or in "exceptional circumstances".

The unionist politicians argued that the changes, including minimum font sizes and spacing, amounted to a "significant divergence" because they would not be required for similar products in the rest of the United Kingdom.

A cross-party committee in the Northern Irish parliament that scrutinises relevant EU legislation was unable to reach a view on whether the rules would have a significant impact on everyday life.

(Reporting by Padraic Halpin, Amanda Ferguson and Conor Humphries; Editing by Kevin Liffey)