Windsor Framework will cause an irreversible fracture to trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland says top haulier

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One of the most experienced hauliers in Northern Ireland has said that the Windsor Framework does not remove the Irish Sea trade border, it reinforces it.

Paul Jackson, who has been operating at the highest level of British and Irish haulage for more than 40 years, also said the new deal which is set to be formalised today in London will cause an “irreversible fracture” to trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

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Mr Jackson, who works for McBurney Transport and runs his own transport management consultancy firm Palyn, said: “The Windsor Framework simply does not remove the Irish Sea trade border, it reinforces it.

"Now all EU customs formalities and health certifications will have to be completed before entering NI, whereas some of it was done after entry under the protocol (supplementary declaration).

Freight lorries arriving at Larne portFreight lorries arriving at Larne port
Freight lorries arriving at Larne port

“This will all help to cause an irreversible fracture to trade between GB and NI as the supply chain is forced to realign.”

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Today in London Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and the European Commission’s Maros Sefcovic will together chair a meeting that will see the UK and the EU formally adopt the Windsor Framework.

The sign-off comes as the DUP continues to oppose the deal and a return to Stormont.

Leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has described the framework as a "sticking plaster" and said he is looking forward to further negotiation with the UK Government.

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He said: "I am not interested in sticking plasters, they don't work and I'm afraid there is in the Windsor Framework an element of the sticking plaster.

"It won't work, it will not deliver the long-term stability and prosperity that Northern Ireland needs."

Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris, who met delegations from the five major Stormont parties at Hillsborough Castle yesterday, warned the DUP that there was no prospect of renegotiating the deal ahead of today’s meeting.

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Meanwhile TUV leader Jim Allister has said that any unionist leader who accepts the Windsor Framework is breaking a pledge made on Ulster Day in 2021.

And former taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said that if clarification can be offered on a deal to restore NI’s powersharing institutions, it should be done.