Sir Jeffrey Donaldson defends 'no cost' access to EU market - despite hundreds of millions spent on Protocol

Last week, it emerged that the government had set aside a budget of £192m to build the necessary infrastructure at the sea border, and there is a £28m annual bill to staff and run the border posts.

Last year, the government said it had committed over half a billion pounds since January 2021 on helping business navigate the new rules for moving goods into Northern Ireland.

Speaking to party members in South Antrim, the DUP leader defended the principle of Irish Sea border’s ‘red lane’ checks – and said it is his party’s intention “to get more goods out of the red lane, particularly for those companies who are manufacturing here.”

He also said “looking ahead rather than behind is the best way to undermine Sinn Fein’s divisive border poll campaign”.

The Lagan Valley MP told the party faithful: “We have achieved an outcome which restores our place within the UK Internal Market whilst, at no monetary cost, retains access to the EU Single Market for goods. This is a good long-term deal for the Northern Ireland economy as Northern Ireland exports £8bn worth of goods to the EU each year”.

Northern Ireland is effectively part of the EU single market for goods, and most of the costs the government has faced have been incurred trying to ease the inevitable trade friction between Great Britain and Northern Ireland that is created by upholding the EU market here.

In February 2023, in response to a question from the DUP MP Gregory Campbell, the government said it had committed over £500 million in support to businesses since January 2021 “to make the Protocol work”. The government said running the Trader Support Scheme between August 2020 and February 2023 cost £346.2 million. That scheme is still in place to help businesses navigate the Windsor Framework’s rules.

On Thursday, new legislation was published which gives the Secretary of State the power to direct NI departments on implementation of the Windsor Framework, on issues such as checks on the green lane.

The DUP leader told party members the legislation provides “a legal basis to enable the Government to regulate the United Kingdom internal market. This includes its commitment contained within our recent agreement to eliminate any unnecessary physical checks when goods move within the UK internal market system, and staying within Northern Ireland except those conducted by UK authorities and required to tackle criminality, abuse, smuggling and disease risks”.

Much of the Irish Sea border infrastructure operates around the so-called red lane for goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain and ‘at risk’ of entering the EU single market.

Sir Jeffrey said: “If Northern Ireland wants to retain access to the EU Single Market, then the red lane will be necessary to satisfy the EU that goods entering its market meet their standards”.

On the green lane, he said that by the end of the year “a one-off registration to a UK Internal Market system will enable businesses to bring goods to Northern Ireland from Great Britain without customs declarations and physical or identity checks - save for those conducted by UK authorities as part of an intelligence-based approach to tackle criminality, and smuggling. Reaching this kind of outcome was real progress and will be a gamechanger once fully in place”.

He again described the DUP’s applicability motion vote on a new EU law in Stormont on Tuesday as a “significant and watershed” moment, arguing that it “demonstrated that the legal protections now in existence can be tested and used elected representatives from Northern Ireland”.

Sir Jeffrey also said the DUP is the party for Northern Ireland, adding: “We want this place to succeed, and we exist to deliver for the people who live here. I have been heartened over the last seven weeks by the momentum. People are joining the party and putting their shoulder to the wheel because they also want to see Northern Ireland succeed.

“Rear-view mirror leadership that debates what could or should have been done will not deliver for Northern Ireland. Our focus is on building a prosperous Northern Ireland within a stronger United Kingdom and our plan is working.

“Building for the future is the best way to strengthen our cause and looking ahead rather than behind is the best way to undermine Sinn Fein’s divisive border poll campaign.”