Ulster Unionist Leader, Steve Aiken OBE MLA, has stated that the Northern Ireland Protocol should be changed and a fair and just agreement negotiated which supports businesses in Northern Ireland, doesn`t create barriers to trade within our own country and protects the Belfast Agreement.
Ulster Unionist Leader, Steve Aiken OBE MLA, said:
“The speculation about the Government`s position on the Northern Ireland Protocol has driven a very predictable and regrettable reaction from those who are content to have a border down the Irish Sea, regardless of the impact on Northern Ireland businesses and our consumers. Nobody should be in any doubt that the Northern Ireland Protocol is the worst of both worlds economically and constitutionally for Northern Ireland. It attacks the very foundations of the Belfast Agreement and should be amended. If there is any chance to change it, it should be changed.
“The negotiations should be focused on reaching a fair and just outcome which both protects our businesses and respects the Belfast Agreement rather than thrusting a bureaucratic monstrosity on Northern Ireland which puts the interests of the EU ahead of the citizens of Northern Ireland. There should be no barriers to trade within our own country.
“It is unacceptable that the EU would have the final say on any state aid in Northern Ireland. Can you imagine the implications for trying to save our aerospace Industry? If any new proposals can help lead to amelioration of the very onerous provisions of the Northern Ireland Protocol then they should be welcomed by all.”