Parties reject Brandon Lewis claims that Covid to blame for empty supermarket shelves

The DUP, UUP and SDLP have rejected claims from the Secretary of State that empty shelves in Northern Ireland supermarkets have been due to Covid - and not the NI protocol.
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Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said any empty shelves in Northern Ireland are due to coronavirus issues and not because of Brexit.

He told Sky News: “The unfettered access was always about Northern Ireland businesses into Great Britain – yes there is.

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“The flow of food and goods linked to the EU and the Northern Ireland Protocol has been good actually.

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis.
(Photo by Peter Summers/Getty Images)Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis.
(Photo by Peter Summers/Getty Images)
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis. (Photo by Peter Summers/Getty Images)

“Where we’ve seen some images of empty shelves in Northern Ireland – although let’s be clear we’ve seen them across the UK recently – has been linked to Covid and some of the challenges we’ve had at Dover due to Covid just before Christmas and the flow through the supply line of that rather than through the protocol.

“Supermarkets we’ve been talking to regularly have good flows of supply and that’s important to Northern Ireland, being an integral part of the United Kingdom.”

DUP Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots likened the situation to the fairytale of the Emperor with no clothes.

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“He really needs to reflect on that,” the MLA said. “It is not a good policy to go about just saying something which is blatantly not the case. And we know what the problems are and we know where the problems emanate from and we know that those issues need to be dealt with.”

UUP leader Steve Aiken also dismissed the claims.

“The remarks today by the Secretary of State Brandon Lewis about shortages in Northern Ireland shops as being down to COVID, is a derisory attempt to disguise the growing debacle of the Northern Ireland Protocol,” he said.

“Even the most cursory examination of shelves in our shops before the 31st December, and then after with the imposition of the Irish Sea Border, will show that COVID is not the determining factor.

“Rather than perpetuating the myth that ‘there’s nothing to see here’, the Secretary of State would be much better off doing everything he can to achieve the necessary derogations that we need, not just for a few weeks, but for a year at least.

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“There is a very real problem here and it is getting worse not better. As with most problems in life, ignoring it and hoping it goes away is not an advisable strategy. When it comes to empty shelves in supermarkets and food supplies, it is a truly awful strategy and a dangerous one at that.”

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood gave a similar reaction to Lewis.

“Does it ever end?” he Tweeted. “More nonsense from the Secretary of State”.

SDLP Brexit spokesman Matthew O’Toole MLA accused Mr Lewis of ‘gaslighting’.

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“While it is clear that Covid has played a significant part in supply chain disruption, it is gaslighting for the Secretary of State to tell people it has nothing to do with Brexit,” he said. “People here are not stupid and Brandon Lewis should stop insulting our intelligence. We need constructive solutions not spin. We warned about the consequences of Brexit and it’s now time for the UK Government to get on with dealing with the consequences.”

TUV Comber councillor Stephen Cooper was scathing in his response.

“Having denied there were any plans for a border and even having tried to maintain the fiction that the border wasn’t anything to worry about once it became operational, the Secretary of State is still taking us for fools,” he said.

“The issues at our ports, which have resulted in huge qualities of food being dumped, are very real and contrary to his misplaced assertions - very worrying.

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“Many small companies will struggle to absorb the cost and I have no doubt that there will be businesses who conclude that trading with Northern Ireland simply isn’t worth the hassle.

“I have proposed a motion in Ards and North Down Council calling on the Secretary of State to invoke Article 16 and take the necessary steps to rectify this unmitigated disaster for our economy and trading future with the rest of the UK. “Today’s comments show that Mr Lewis is engaged in an attempt at cover-up which is both truly farcical and ridiculous.”

Alliance MP Stephen Farry said: “Nothing is achieved by denial around the realities of the de facto border down the Irish Sea. This arises from the particular decisions taken by the UK Government around Brexit. The UK and EU must work collaboratively to achieve as many flexibilities and derogations as possible. Alliance is busy making proposals to the Government and the Commission, and lobbying for solutions.”

Mr Lewis has been invited to respond.

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