Lord Empey: London needs to front up to what it is doing on the Irish Sea border rather than playing people for fools


Once again I have questioned the UK government on their plans for export declarations on goods moving between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
My written parliamentary question has only been given what I consider a ‘half answer’.
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Hide AdThe government states that ‘we will not require exit summary declarations on those movements’. My reply to the government is: of course we know that the UK government ‘won`t require’ them, but that’s not the point! The European Union will.


Brussels is demanding them. The question for the government is what are they going to do about it?
Regrettably this play on words is exactly what we saw before the government, supported by the DUP, agreed to a regulatory border in the Irish Sea on October 2 last year.
It’s more smoke and mirrors. It is time that the government fronts up to what they are doing rather than playing people as if they are fools. It doesn’t wash anymore. They need to make the integrity of the United Kingdom their number one priority in the remaining weeks of the negotiations.
Lord Empey,
Ulster Unionist peer, Westminster