DUP to trigger Stormont Brake over proposed EU law changes
DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley says his party will seek to trigger the Stormont Brake in response to new EU customs rules which threaten to deepen trade barriers between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The EU Customs Code will apply in the province because it remains effectively inside the European Union’s single market, under the terms of the post-Brexit Windsor Framework.
That deal allowed for the so-called Stormont Brake, a “democratic safeguard” which may be triggered over an EU law which is amended or replaced by Brussels, in lieu of any direct input by politicians elected here.
Mr Buckley said businesses in Northern Ireland “are already paying the price for the Protocol, with customs bureaucracy driving many firms in Great Britain away from trading with us”.
The Upper Bann MLA said: “At a time when government should be reducing the cost of doing business, the prospect of a new EU Customs Code only threatens to make matters even worse.
“Individual businesses and trade bodies have been clear about the potential consequences: more red tape, higher costs, delays, reduced consumer choice and further disruption to established supply chains. These are not hypothetical concerns. They are the real-world consequences of being subjected to rules we have no say in making and no power to change.
“For these reasons, the DUP has formally petitioned the Speaker to object to this legislation. I would urge MLAs to support us in this cause by adding their signature. In particular, on an issue with such clear implications for Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom and its internal market, practical co-operation between unionist parties is essential. By working together and demonstrating the collective strength of our voice, we can make our concerns heard”, he said.
UUP MLA Steve Aiken said: “The Union Customs Code implications have been widely ignored by Whitehall. They will bring about considerable divergence from the rest of our nation, add a substantial administrative burden, and a massive increase in cost. If there was anything that the Stormont Break should be applied too, this is it”.