British government’s Brexit promises “worthless without action” – Newry MLA

SDLP MLA for Newry and Armagh Justin McNulty has said that local businesses will face additional barriers to trade with Britain if the UK Government doesn’t take action on its pledge to secure ‘unfettered access’ to the GB market.

Speaking to Newry Times, McNulty said, “This week the British and European Union’s negotiating team have been meeting to make progress on the ‘Northern Ireland Protocol’.

“And whist reports have emerged of progress, there have also been reports that there are still major obstacles remaining.

“The bureaucratic nightmare we all knew Brexit would be, just might be coming home to roost,” he warned.

“The SDLP has been really clear throughout this process – the best outcome for businesses across these islands is to be able to operate in an environment with no checks or declarations.

“Unfortunately, the UK Government has adopted an approach based entirely on hard Brexit ideology rather than the complex realities of unfettered trade.

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“This week’s report published by the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee in Westminster reflects on the failure of Boris Johnson’s government to engage with the fundamental contradictions of their position,” he continued.

“To continue to boast about unfettered access to the GB market for Northern Ireland businesses, for example, without addressing the need for export and exit summary declarations under EU customs rules is fundamentally dishonest.

“If Boris and his government applied the same energy and resource to solving these problems for local businesses as they do to sloganeering ad campaigns, we may be in a better position.

The local MLA added, “As it stands, there has been no indication that the needs of people and businesses here are a priority, and that needs to change.”

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Posted by NewryTimes News on Jul 29 2020. Filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry