UUP leader Steve Aiken OBE MLA has urged everyone in Northern Ireland and beyond to sign the petition calling for unfettered trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Mr Aiken said:
“The petition calling for unfettered between Great Britain and Northern Ireland has been live for over a day and I would encourage everyone in Northern Ireland and beyond to sign it.
“For everyone in Northern Ireland who is experiencing delays, can’t get goods or agricultural products delivered, who don`t want their pets to have to be vaccinated for non-existent diseases, as well as those of us who believe that the Northern Ireland Protocol is fundamentally and irrevocably flawed – I urge you to sign. I would also ask all those across the United Kingdom who believe in the Union to sign this petition as well. The petition can be signed at: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/573209
“It`s clear that the Northern Ireland Protocol isn`t working and we need alternatives. This week the Ulster Unionist Party published our own proposals and I would ask everyone to read them. We need to find a solution.
“The message from the Irish Government`s Foreign Minister, Simon Coveney, to Northern Ireland this week was ‘own it’, but that`s not good enough. That type of intemperate language and approach which seeks to punish all the people of Northern Ireland for the mistakes of others will get us nowhere. If that had been the approach of unionists in 1998, there never would have been a Belfast Agreement. It seems apparent that for Simon Coveney, the principle of consent and cross community support only applies when it suits the Irish Government`s agenda.
“We have a plan, so let`s work on it. If others have proposals, then publish them.”