Allister says new checks on NI to GB 'exports' show a hard border isn't necessary

The TUV leader was responding to new rules for moving certain plant and animal products into Great Britain from the province, which came into effect on Tuesday.

They are the latest consequence of post-Brexit trade deals which have split the UK into two regulatory zones – with Northern Ireland effectively left inside the EU’s single market for goods. That has meant increasingly complicated arrangements to protect the EU single market.

The latest addition to the special arrangements for Northern Ireland are an attempt by the British government to ensure that certain products can’t enter mainland UK using Northern Ireland as a back door. They will involve light-touch checks on specific categories of goods – with Northern Ireland products generally guaranteed “unfettered access” to the GB market.

Products not covered by the unfettered access guarantee are treated as ‘non-qualifying goods’. Businesses will need to complete a pre-notification on the “import” of those products to England, Scotland or Wales – and provide relevant sanitary or phytosanitary (SPS) certificates.

Mr Allister says the system highlights that a hard border was never necessary.

“It would seem that having submitted their customs and SPS forms electronically in advance, lorries will be told, before leaving home, whether to attend an inland border control posts or other place away from the border, including their destination, for checks. This is hugely important for two reasons.

“First, it means that those only carrying Northern Ireland Qualifying goods will neither have to fill in customs or SPS forms or go to Border Control Posts, unless they come within the five categories mentioned above.

“Second, this arrangement removes the justification for the Irish Sea border. It was only imposed because we were told there could not be a hard border on the actual international border and so the border must be moved to the Irish Sea. In truth this was never a morally acceptable solution because it involved disenfranchising 1.9 million people and disrespecting the territorial integrity of the UK. However, the revelation - through these new arrangements - that it was not necessary to have a hard border across the island of Ireland in the first place, is a game changer.

“The Government should now abandon introducing the next part of the border, the Parcels Border, on 31 March and work to replace the Irish Sea border with Mutual Enforcement, the only morally acceptable solution because it avoids a hard border without disenfranchising 1.9 million people and disrespecting the territorial integrity of the UK.”

The TUV leader has also said that the arrangements highlight the division of the UK, as “more than four years after the supposed arrival of the border, we will begin to see [the sea border] enforced on goods going from Northern Ireland to Great Britain”.

He said the new “export procedures” are dividing the United Kingdom.

“Under the mis-named Windsor Framework (UK Internal Market and Unfettered Access) Regulations 2024, published with the Safeguarding the Union deal, export procedures are to be applied to the movement of NI goods from NI to GB in five different areas for the first time.

“The Government has said they will have minimal effect but since it said that in relation to the EU General Product Safety Regulations, we should not hold our breath.

“Moreover, even if the effects are minimal, they still amount to cementing in the Irish Sea border because no such export procedures are required for the movement of any goods within the rest of the UK. This is wrong!”, the North Antrim MP said.

Government guidance on the new rules says that some goods that enter Great Britain from Northern Ireland will have to use certain points of entry, depending on the category of goods – but live animals can enter Great Britain from Northern Ireland through any point of entry.

Non-qualifying goods – which are subject to checks and not part of the unfettered access guarantee – include: live animal or animal products; live animals or germinal products; animal by-products; plants and plant products.