Steve Aiken: Letter shows that Irish Sea border is now a ‘certainty’

Mr Aiken was speaking after details were revealed of a letter from the UK government to the Executive Office at Stormont stating border control posts will be set up in three Northern Ireland ports – Belfast, Warrenpoint and Larne.

The details of the letter were revealed by Sinn Fein MLA Declan Kearney, a junior minister in the Executive Office, during a committee meeting at Stormont on Wednesday.

This comes just months after Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted that there would be no trade barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

And the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, today insisted the UK government remains “determined there will not be a border down the Irish Sea.”

He told the Northern Ireland Affairs committee at Westminster: “We want to make sure there is unfettered access for Northern Ireland.

“Northern Ireland is part of the UK’s single market, it is important it remains that way, it is important that we trade both ways.”

Mr Aiken, however, believes a sea border is now inevitable.

He said: “We now have it in the clearest of terms that there will be an Irish Sea border come January 1 2021. We had warned that this was sadly inevitable if we continued on the direction of travel set in December 2017 that the UK government has allowed to continue. It is unforgivable that we have ended up here.”

He continued: “For all the big talk and bluster, Northern Ireland will now have to deal with border control posts at our ports and airports. This places a huge burden on businesses here who will be expected to be totally prepared for the changes in just over seven months time, amidst the crisis many are currently facing due to Covid-19.

“The EU is not without fault here, intransigence on its part played a big role in leading us here, nor are those who made it all about the border on the island of Ireland. The damage they warned that could be caused by checks on the island could be ten-fold now if there is disruption caused by east/west checks.

“We urgently need to hear from the UK government on how they are going to assist Northern Ireland in getting ready for this.

“The Northern Ireland Executive must make a strong case for mitigation and for an urgent road map from Her Majesty’s Government on how they are going to ensure that businesses in Northern Ireland are not disadvantaged by what they have agreed to.”

TUV leader Jim Allister, meanwhile, described the proposed border posts as a “test of mettle” for unionists.

“Declan Kearney’s claim at yesterday’s Executive Office committee meeting that Her Majesty’s Government will ‘put in place detailed plans with the Executive which does include physical posts at points of entry’ as part of the Brexit process suggests that unionists at the Executive face a major test of their mettle,” he said.

“No unionist could agree to the imposition of such posts.”