Brexit: Soaring cross-border trade shows need for Article 16, says DUP’s Sammy Wilson

Article 16 is a safeguard mechanism built into the post-Brexit trading arrangement known as the Northern Ireland Protocol that allows either the UK or EU to suspend parts of the deal.

One of the conditions required before triggering Article 16 of the deal is “diversion of trade”.

Mr Wilson said new statistics, from the Republic of Ireland’s Central Statistics Office (CSO), showing a substantial increase in the value of trade across the Irish border indicates that trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain has likely been “displaced”.

According to the CSO data, exports from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland for January to June 2022 increased by 413 million euro to 2.3 billion euro when compared with the same time period of 2021.

Meanwhile, imports to Northern Ireland from the Republic from January to June 2022 increased by 662 million euro to 2.4 billion euro when compared with the same time period in 2021.

The figures were published in the CSO’s Goods Exports and Imports statistics for June 2022.

While the figures relate to the Repubilc of Ireland’s imports and exports, and therefore do not contain data on trade within the UK between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, Mr Wilson believes the increase in north-south trade likely points to a diversion of east-west trade.

Speaking to the News Letter, he said: “I think the significance is this — that the criteria for triggering Artcile 16 is noe being met. Of course, one of the criteria for triggering Article 16 in the Protocol is significant displacement of trade.

“The fact that the south are now admitting that the purchase of goods from the Republic into Northern Ireland has increased by 662 million, those are goods which would have been previously bought in Great Britain.”

The East Antrim MP continued: “They are no longer being supplied by Great Britain because they are no longer allowed to be brought in or that it’s too costly because of the Protocol.

“That means Great Britain suppliers are losing out and, indeed, that consumers in Northern Ireland are having to settle for second best. Dont forget, in the past we chose goods from Great Britain — that was consumer choice, purchaser choice. We are only now going to the Republic of Ireland because those goods are no longer available.”

He added: “The displacement of trade is occurring andf that’s a reason for the Government being able to move unilaterally. If anything, that confirms our position that the government of the UK to protect its own producers and its own economy should now be taking unilateral action.”