Allister puts sea border costs at £1bn - as government still to make decision one year after Stormont blocked new EU law

Much of the expense stems from the elaborate schemes put in place by the government to ease the flow of trade within the UK for businesses who had, before Brexit, traded freely.

It comes as the government has declined to say whether it has reached a decision on a vote last year rejecting some new EU laws in Northern Ireland.

Last March, new rules on ‘geographical indications’ for craft and industrial products failed to get the required support of both unionists and nationalists in the Assembly – however the final decision on whether the law can be blocked rests with London.

The ability to block new EU laws under the ‘applicability motion’ mechanism was one of the “safeguards” introduced under the Windsor Framework, to allow a limited level of democratic input for politicians in Northern Ireland.

The government’s indecision on the matter has fuelled scepticism among unionist parties about how effective the democratic consent mechanisms actually are. Another mechanism, the Stormont Brake, was pulled last year with the support of all unionist MLAs.

However, in January the Secretary of State blocked the request – denying that it was part of wider attempts to improve UK relations with the European Union.

The move had been criticised by the First Minister ​Michelle O’Neill, who said that the DUP deployed it “without informing anybody” – and claimed “these handbrakes or whatever they’re called” serve to disrupt.

Earlier this week, on the one year anniversary of the applicability motion, TUV leader Jim Allister tabled a question to the government asking whether a decision had been reached. A response is expected next week.

The News Letter asked the Northern Ireland Office if the government had yet come to a decision on the matter – and whether it was planning not to make a decision unless the issue is forced by the EU.

A UK Government spokesperson said: “The Government continues to evaluate the implications of Regulation 2023/2411, reflecting the applicability motion vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the conditions set out in Schedule 6B of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.”

Meanwhile, the TUV has issued its assessment of the cost of building and implementing the trade border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The party has estimated the cost at almost £1bn so far, based on answers it has received from the UK government about various aspects of the arrangements – such as the Movement Assistance Scheme (MAS) and the Trader Support Service (TSS).

North Antrim MP Jim Allister said: “Quite apart from the ongoing and rising cost to business every day, arising from the partitioning of our country by the EU’s Irish Sea border, it is now clear from recent parliamentary replies to me that the costs to man and operate the border and build the extravagant infrastructure demanded by Brussels, is fast approaching £1 billion.

“These answers show that far from the Irish Sea border being gone, as the DUP claimed, it has already cost £650M to administer and almost £200M is being spent on the border posts where checks will be conducted on our trade from GB, overseen by EU officials.

“This is not only monstrous in constitutional terms but also in financial terms. HMG decrees cuts in welfare and elsewhere but merrily squanders £1B to placate the EU to whom it has surrendered Northern Ireland as a colonial territory. Sadly, the DUP largely gave up the fight when they returned to Stormont to implement the Protocol, but TUV will not let up on exposing and opposing this madness.”

After Gavin Robinson took over as DUP leader last year, the party u-turned on its assessment of the Safeguarding the Union deal which restored Stormont. The party is now opposed to EU law in Northern Ireland, and the trade border it creates in the Irish Sea.