Ian Paisley says Northern Ireland businesses could benefit if Trump hits Republic with tariffs

​The former DUP MP, who says he has been speaking to the Trump family, doesn’t believe that the worst case scenario of 200% tariffs on Irish goods will happen, but businesses north of the border must be ready to capitalise on such a scenario.

Mr Paisley told the BBC Sunday Politics programme “My advice is don’t get excited yet. Keep calm, carry on. Yes, if tariffs of 200% come in to Irish foods, that would be absolutely drastic for the Irish Republic market… But Northern Ireland being part of the United Kingdom on this basis, actually sees an opportunity.

“Now, do we want to take an opportunity off the back of the Republic of Ireland? I hope it doesn’t come to that. I hope that trade will continue.

“But if there’s an opportunity, Northern Irish businesses should be ready to seize that, because the opportunity of a lifetime is only available for the lifetime of that opportunity.

“Clearly under the Trump regime, and I’ve been speaking to the Trump family, these things are negotiations. It can be about bouncing people, it can be about squeezing them to get the right deal, but the bark may be worse than the bite.

“I don’t think it’ll come to a 200% tariff on Irish products. But there's a negotiation, and people should stay calm on it”.

The former North Antrim MP said Donald Trump needs to be reacted to in a certain way – which involves talking through the numbers and the benefits to America.

He said the President’s strategy since coming to office is to “keep people on their toes”. Pointing to his handling of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Mr Paisley said it was now about a peace deal, not a war deal.

“He’s got them onto that territory. Yet the first day of it, my goodness it was a debacle in the White House. With the verbal spat between him and Zelensky. So the whole issue, in my view, he does have a strategy in this and it’s working for him.

“Could it be upsetting for us? We’ve got to be very careful. That’s why Micheal Martin being very cautious and respectful in his approach to the President, and our Prime Minister being very respectful and indeed playing the King card.

“All of that is very very important to get out of this the best deal possible for Northern Ireland and for the United Kingdom”.

BBC presenter Mark Carruthers asked Mr Paisley about what might happen to companies like Bushmills Whiskey if the trade negotiations didn’t go well, he said tariffs had been imposed before and businesses adjusted.

“A million cases a year go out of Bushmills to the North American market. So it's a significant market, and has been for a very, very, very long time. We want to keep that market. And yes, if it goes badly, it'd be awful for that business, and it'd be awful for the other whiskey businesses.

“But of course, this did happen before happened in 2018 whenever the whole dispute over Boeing was happening and 26 / 27% tariffs went on, we managed to work our way through that, and that's why I don't think this will be the catastrophe that people are worried about”, Mr Paisley said.

He added: “ The luxury product of whiskey in Northern Ireland, and I call it Irish whiskey made in the UK, has a very unique selling point to America. And if there's tariffs on the Irish whiskey, but it doesn't affect Northern Irish whiskey, that is a significant opportunity”.