The Ulster Unionist Party’s Justice Spokesperson, Doug Beattie MC MLA, has called on the NIO to face up to reality and accept that the NI Protocol has created an Irish Sea border and is the cause of varying degrees of inconvenience for everyone from shoppers to pet owners and the military.  

Doug Beattie MC MLA said:

“The insistence of the Northern Ireland Office that there isn’t a border in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a result of the Northern Ireland Protocol, has led them to first deny, then try to undermine, my concerns in regard to the military movement of equipment from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. But the fact remains that military equipment being moved within the boundaries of the United Kingdom must go through customs controls.

“This is not hype or exaggeration as stated by some political leaders seemingly trying to belittle anyone with a concern. It is simply not acceptable that any time unionists raise concerns about the sea border they are summarily dismissed, often by the very same people and parties who were so exercised about their own concerns at what might result if any physical infrastructure was proposed on the land border.

“The MOD statement that it will not affect their operations does detract from my concerns either, because the reality is that the military will always do workarounds, as they are a can do organisation and that is their stock in trade. But the key point remains, why should they have to in this case? The fact is that I know the processes for the movement of military equipment from GB to NI post 1st January 2021. And the fact that this concerns me as a Unionist politician should not be belittled or undermined just to cover up the glaringly obvious failure of the Protocol and those who champion it or who feel obliged to defend it. 

“Whether you are pro BREXIT or not, it is abundantly clear that the military are classed as any other business when moving their equipment around the UK. They must fill out a NATO form, complete an inventory and submit it to a Customs Compliance Team. Only then will they receive a movement reference number to allow them to move from GB to NI, and on arrival at NI they will be subject to customs checks and EU monitoring.

“This is the reality now but it can be fixed and I am in no doubt it will be. Even now I expect the NIO and MOD will be changing their internal processes. However, even if and when it is resolved, the point remains and it is still completely valid - the Irish Sea border has caused difficulties for our military and the Ulster Unionist Party was right to speak up and draw attention to it.

“In desperation the Conservative Party are now in damage limitation mode because if this picked up enough momentum, it is clear they would fear attacks from their political rivals. In simple terms Northern Ireland matters little to them, but it certainly would start to matter very quickly, if the Labour Party highlighted their failing on a national stage.

“Unless the UK Government sees sense, the Northern Ireland Protocol may well be here until the Assembly can vote it down in 2024. That does not – and will not - stop the Ulster Unionist Party highlighting its insidious effects on the United Kingdom. It needs to be replaced with a better and workable option, but in the meantime the list of derogations needs to grow from pet travel to medicine control, to the movement of foodstuffs to military equipment.”