Government’s answer ‘is no answer’ – Jim Allister slams minister's response to trade deal questions
Jim Allister says the government has failed to address unionist concerns about how the Windsor Framework will disadvantage Northern Ireland when it comes to any benefits from recent trade deals struck by the UK.
The TUV leader secured an urgent question on the matter in the Commons on Monday as MPs sought greater clarity from the Labour government on how the trade deals it has struck with the United States and India will impact the province.
Exports are not restricted by the Irish Sea border arrangements – but imports face EU taxes and businesses have to claim them back afterwards.
Mr Allister asked the Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds to make a statement to the Commons on the matter on Monday.
The Labour minister spoke at great length about the various parts of the deal which he said would boost the UK economy – saying that it was his government which had got them “across the line for every bit of the UK, including Northern Ireland”.
Mr Allister responded: “Mr Speaker, for all his verbosity, the minister came nowhere close to addressing the issues which arise from the fact that this government and this house does not control the trade laws of a part of this United Kingdom, namely Northern Ireland.
“Because under the Windsor framework, Northern Ireland was placed under the EU's customs code, and therefore it is its tariffs, not the UK's tariffs, which govern the imports to Northern Ireland.
“And with the EU having no trade deal with the US or with India, the resulting tariffs on imports under this deal will be higher when they come to goods, come to Northern Ireland than to GB, for manufacturing and for consumers.
“This creates huge disadvantage and fundamental contradicts the equal citizenship which is supposed to denote a United Kingdom Minister referred to the convoluted and tardy system of possible recruitment of tariffs.
“The onus there is on those applying to prove that anything they produce will never go into the EU and it is no answer to Northern Ireland's subjection to foreign trade laws that we don't make and can't change”.