UUP MLA brands new NI Secretary's 'best of both worlds' comments 'naive' amid Windsor Framework issues
Sir Chris Bryant should no longer be “naive” enough to suggest that Northern Ireland benefits from the “best of both worlds” under the Windsor Framework – given ongoing issues with the arrangements, a UUP MLA has said.
Steve Aiken sits on the Stormont committee which scrutinises the laws being passed down from Brussels – and has raised a number of issues which have arisen since the Assembly went into recess.
Mr Bryant, was appointed Secretary of State by Prime Minister Andy Burnham earlier this week, replacing Hilary Benn at the Northern Ireland Office.
The Labour MP has been a strong supporter of the Windsor Framework, claiming that it is an economic advantage for Northern Ireland.
This week he told the BBC: “You've got the best of both worlds being in the single market and in the United Kingdom. We need to exploit all these economic opportunities. Let's lift our eyes to much bigger horizons about economic prosperity”.
On Thursday, Mr Aiken said: “Today at the Windsor Framework Committee, which continues to sit throughout recess, I raised four items of other business which, if our committee was in the least bit curious, we would be trying to act on”.
He said that a tax on parcels, which he had branded the “Alliance Tax” will not be applied, because “now the vast majority of all non-EU parcels will now be coming through from warehouses in England and Scotland and are thereby exempt; HMRC are very confident that this won’t be challenged by EU, or by member states”. However, Mr Aiken said officials are less certain about the impact of the forthcoming ‘administration charge’.
He also said Northern Ireland will be “lucky to escape the fallout” of an EU spat with the USA over the Digital Markets Act – with the Trump administration “threatening massive counter tariffs if EU fines Google €450M.
“Regardless of the temporary 10% tariffs imposed, there could be a massive digital trade war between the EU and USA, and thanks to the provisions of the Protocol, NI will be lucky to escape”
“Hopefully, with his experience already, our new SoS won’t be naive enough to say we have the best of both worlds”.