Irish Sea border: 'Absurdity' of customs form needed to send birthday present from Great Britain to Northern Ireland
A North Antrim constituent had to fill in a customs form to send a £20 birthday present from Great Britain in Northern Ireland, it has been revealed.
The TUV said this serves as further evidence of the "absurdity" of the "Union-dismantling Protocol" in action.
The customs form, a copy of which was seen by the News Letter, lists the parcel's contents as being one bar of soap, one chocolate bar, one birthday card, and a pack of six kitchen storage clips.
The CN22 form also asked for details of the sender, the recipient, the category of goods, the date, and the sender's signature.
“Anyone who doubts that the EU noose is tightening month on month, look at this customs declaration which was required for a daughter in GB to send her parents in NI a gift of bars of chocolate and soap!" said party leader Jim Allister.
"Who would have thought the EU single market was so fragile that [a bar] of soap would damage it?
“Of course, the Irish Sea border was never about protecting their single market, it was always about the EU exercising sovereignty and control over NI.
“So much for the promise of 'equal citizenship' that should be guaranteed by UK membership.
“Yet, some look the other way and day by day help sustain and implement the Union-dismantling Protocol.”
The DUP, under its previous leadership, had claimed that the Irish Sea border had been removed.
Asked its take on the customs form above, it issued a statement from Jonathan Buckley MLA saying: “The DUP has been clear with the government that these checks are unacceptable and place people and businesses in Northern Ireland at a fundamental disadvantage compared to the rest of the UK.
"We do not accept arrangements that leave Northern Ireland subject to separate treatment and will continue to press the government to deliver on its commitments to remove these internal borders within the UK.”
The Northern Ireland Office said: "The Windsor Framework addresses Northern Ireland’s unique and complex circumstances, which safeguards the Good Friday Agreement and restores the smooth flow of trade within the UK.
"We remain committed to implementing the Windsor Framework."