Earlier in the week, in an intervention during Northern Ireland Questions, Andrew Rosindell MP, Member of Parliament for Romford, called out the provisions creating a damaging internal trade border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Instead of affirming the fact that one part of the nation should not be separated from another, the Secretary of State blamed the democratic decision made by tens of millions of British people.
It is a disgrace that the “Safeguarding the Union” provisions severely restrict trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, binding the Province to 300 areas of EU law over which the people have no say. Will the Secretary of State take steps to remove what is left of this damaging international trade border within our own nation and restore the birthright of the people of Northern Ireland as equal citizens of this United Kingdom?
Andrew Rosindell M.P., Member of Parliament for Romford
I say to the hon. Gentleman and those who advocated that we should leave the European Union: this is the consequence of it. There was an open border and two different jurisdictions—how were we going to deal with trade in those circumstances? Secondly, the goods are flowing; the goods are moving. Look at the evidence: the Northern Ireland economy in the second quarter grew by 2%. That is not indicative of a problem.
The Rt Hon. Hilary Benn M.P., Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
