Irish Sea border: Trade body to meet GB businesses to gather evidence on 'challenges and opportunities' for Northern Ireland trade
A body set up to deal with trade friction caused by the Irish Sea border will hold its first public event today, with its chair Baroness Arlene Foster saying it wants to hear about the “real world” experiences of businesses.
The former first minister has also criticised a decision by the Stormont committee set up to scrutinise how EU laws affect Northern Ireland for not agreeing to an inquiry into sweeping changes to the EU customs code.
Baroness Foster, the chair of InterTrade UK was speaking to the News Letter ahead of today’s event in Staffordshire, organised with a Labour MP.
“I am delighted to be working with Adam Jogee MP to bring together business leaders and stakeholders at Keele University today for our Intertrade UK event.
“We’re gathering evidence directly from businesses about the real-world challenges and opportunities for Great Britain – Northern Ireland trade which will inform our ongoing advice to the UK Government”, she said.
Intertrade UK will convene businesses in the midlands county for a business roundtable and reception. The body was set up in the wake of the collapse of Stormont over the NI Protocol, and included in a package of measures agreed between the DUP and the previous Conservative government which restored the local political institutions.
Another part of government attempts to assuage unionist concerns were accountability mechanisms set up at the Assembly, including the Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee.
It is charged with scrutinising the vast amounts of EU trade legislation which automatically applies to Northern Ireland.
Last week, Ulster Unionist MLA Steve Aiken criticised the body for not voting for a further inquiry into the changes, calling it a “completely incurious and vestigial committee”.
Baroness Foster told the News Letter she was “very surprised” by the decision, and that she understands Mr Aiken’s frustrations.
“These are changes to the entire customs code. I know that a number of businesses who have contacted me did give written evidence to the committee to raise concerns.
“Yet those weren't taken into account, and it was decided not to have an inquiry, which I find very strange because the whole purpose of the committee is to look into any changes that are coming – and then to give advice and to try and see how they can help.
“It just seems very strange, and I can understand frustration of Steve Aiken when I read his comments last week”, the former DUP boss said.
Further significant changes are on the way in coming months, which could further complicate the trade relationship within the UK, such as the Product Liability Directive. That is to be brought into NI domestic law by 9 December 2026, while the rest of the UK will remain governed by older laws.
The Northern Ireland Office said the sessions are designed to gather testimony from a wide range of businesses “around the practical realities and administrative burdens/costs of supplying goods across the Irish Sea into Northern Ireland”.
Intertrade UK was invited to meet with businesses in Staffordshire by local MP Adam Jogee during a Northern Ireland Affairs Committee session.
The organisation says it is “actively delivering its commitment to gather ground-level evidence directly from suppliers on how the UK internal market is functioning in practice with a particular focus on GB-NI trade”. It says today’s event is the first in a series of events “to meet with businesses across the United Kingdom to promote the opportunities to trade with Northern Ireland, as well as gather evidence around the ongoing difficulties which it will subsequently advise the UK Government on resolving”.
Intertrade UK says it is promoting “the opportunities to trade with Northern Ireland in key GB hubs, starting with Staffordshire as a major industrial and manufacturing hub”.
“These events are designed to encourage commercial networks to develop across the internal market over time by breaking down barriers to trade and educating businesses as to the opportunities that exist.
“Taking unfiltered commercial feedback directly back to policymakers in Whitehall with the intention of easing any administrative burdens, real or perceived, under the current trading arrangements", they said.
A December summit at Stormont will convene political leaders, MLAs, business representative bodies, and cross-border businesses.