North west Cambridgeshire MP Shailesh Vara puts question to new PM Liz Truss in Prime Minister's Questions

An MP has put a question forward in the first Prime Minister's Questions under Liz Truss' leadership.

North west Cambridgeshire MP, Shailesh Vara, asked the new Prime Minister a searching question about the Northern Ireland protocol today (September 7).

Shailesh Vara MP, who was Northern Ireland Secretary until last week, said: “Mr Speaker, it is the standard practice of the European Union that when they can’t get their way with negotiations with the UK, they play for time and wait for a new leader who they hope will have a different view to a predecessor.

“For the sake of clarity, will my right honourable friend confirm that it is the UK’s preferred option to have a negotiated settlement as far as the Northern Ireland protocol is concerned?

“But if that is not forthcoming, then we will proceed with the protocol bill that is currently going through parliament?”

Prime Minister Liz Truss thanked him for his service as Northern Ireland secretary.

She added: “He is absolutely right we need to resolve the issue of the Northern Ireland protocol – my preference is for a negotiated solution, but it does have to deliver all of the things that we set out in the Northern Ireland protocol.

“And what we cannot allow is for this situation to drift because my number one priority is protecting the supremacy of the Belfast Good Friday agreement.”

Shailesh Vara MP was axed from the cabinet as part of Liz Truss’s reshuffle after becoming prime minister having only been appointed to the role of secretary of state for Northern Ireland in July after a wave of government resignations which led to Boris Johnson quitting.

He previously held the same role between January and November 2018.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Mr Vara said: “It was a great privilege and honour to serve as secretary of state at the Northern Ireland Office and work with some excellent people.”