Brexit row explodes as tensions with EU could result in ‘double whammy’ for Northern Ireland trade | United Kingdom | New

This week, a think tank claimed the Northern Ireland Protocol had given the region an economic boost. Northern Ireland’s economic performance has outpaced that of the UK since 2019, according to the National Institute for Economic and Social Research. However, they also warned that the boost is unlikely to be sustained unless new investments are made in Northern Ireland. The protocol has become one of the most controversial Brexit issues in recent years.

Under this policy, goods transported from Britain to Northern Ireland must undergo checks as Northern Ireland remains in the EU single market.

But the UK government wants to change the protocol because it has disrupted the flow of goods to Northern Ireland from Britain, and trade unionists believe it cuts off the region from the rest of the UK.

Outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson is trying to use the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill to unilaterally cancel the deal – the EU has threatened legal action in response.

Last week, a Northern Ireland manufacturing expert also warned that the bill could cause a ‘double whammy’ to trade in Northern Ireland.

Stephen Kelly, managing director of Manufacturing NI, told CNBC he was concerned about how the bill might be implemented.

He added: “We are potentially in a worse position than a no-deal if the UK and EU can’t find a deal in the weeks and months to come, it’s not just a no-deal. -deal, but it’s not a deal more a trade war.

“It will be hugely damaging not just to Northern Ireland, but to the whole of the UK and the EU, which will be a double whammy for us.”

While the UK will see a new leader in September – either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak – it looks like the government’s approach to the EU and Northern Ireland will not change.

Both Tory leadership candidates have said they support the bill and will continue where Mr Johnson left off.

Ms Truss said as a jabber on Monday: ‘I think we have learned from history that there is only one thing the EU understands, and that is strength.

The Telegraph reported this week that EU figures would rather negotiate with Mr Sunak than Ms Truss in the Brexit talks.

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After Mr Sunak voiced his support for the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, Mr Lewis told the Telegraph: ‘It’s good to see it coming to see that this is the way to go, because it doesn’t quite reflect my experience of the Treasury over the past year and a half.

“The Treasury, in my experience, seems to want to try to keep the EU happy, when I have always thought our aim should be to work for the people of the UK and do what is right for them. as a sovereign government.

“The concern has always been, for the Treasury, ‘how will the EU react’, rather than ‘how can we make this work, and how do we solve this problem which is a problem for the UK?'”