Sammy Wilson: London talks tough about the European Union, but then gives in to them over Northern Ireland

Officials from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs at Stormont have refused to disclose any information about the plans for border control posts in Northern Ireland.

Using freedom of information rules to justify their secrecy, they have hidden behind a dodgy planning process to conceal details from the public.

Despite opposition from the minister, Edwin Poots MLA, officials have taken the instruction of the secretary of state for Agriculture in Whitehall as a green light to behave as if they were accountable to no one.

They have used a planning process that does not require public consultation and which allows their planning application to be treated as if it were a state secret on the basis that ‘disclosing information would adversely affect the application’.

In other words, they want no public scrutiny of these border control posts.

Such secrecy must not be allowed and begs the question, what is there to hide?

On the face of it, the UK government appear to be standing up to Brussels.

Yet as Michael Gove’s answers on Monday reveal, this brave face could be cover for an eventual climb down and acceptance of Brussels’ more outrageous demands.

This seems to be the case as far as Northern Ireland is concerned.

The government appears to have conceded that checks on goods coming into Northern Ireland will not be conducted solely by UK officials but will also require an EU presence at the internal UK border between Northern Ireland and GB.

Michael Gove, whilst being unwilling to spell out what deal had been done, has more or less admitted that ‘he acknowledged the EU’s concerns about appropriate monitoring and implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol and now has a better understanding of their requests and the reasons behind them’.

When questioned on the practical application of this statement, his response was classically evasive and can only be interpreted as the government giving into the EU demand when, two months ago, he told an audience in Belfast that under no circumstances would there be an EU presence in Northern Ireland.

The pattern appears to be, talk tough and then give in to the EU.

The question is, on how many other occasions can the Government get away with it?

Sammy Wilson, DUP MP for East Antrim, Westminster

• Jim Allister: Edwin Poots needs to come clean about Irish border plan

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