UK government response to NI’s empty shelves and trade issues ‘woeful’

And the South Antrim MLA also reiterated calls for the Northern Ireland Assembly to be recalled from recess to address the issues.

His comments come among continuing shortages of some foodstuffs on local supermarket shelves and a warning, revealed in Saturday’s News Letter, that the Northern Ireland supply change could be just five days away from collapsing.

Mr Aiken commented: “The very real impact of the regulatory border in the Irish Sea is becoming clearer by the day.

“It is impacting trade across the board and not just in the transport of foodstuffs.

“However, the UK Government`s response so far has been woeful.

“They are living in cloud cuckoo land.

“This is a growing debacle and I hope that the Conservative Party soon waken up to it.

“They need to relax the rules for trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

“The Irish Government has relaxed the rules to protect trade between Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland and so should our own Government.

“The situation is urgent and I would urge other parties to sign the petition which we tabled on Friday to recall the Assembly to address the very real issues which are facing businesses and consumers across Northern Ireland.

“The Assembly should be sending a clear message to the Government that they need to act to protect trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

“There’s no point in rehearsing the Brexit debate, we need to see action to deal with the issues facing businesses and consumers today.”

An 11-page report sent to Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove by the Road Haulage Association’s (RHA) chief executive Richard Burnett, presents the grim prospect of “a collapse of the Northern Ireland supply chain” within five days if ministers fail to act urgently.