Responding to the EU and Irish Government`s latest deeply unhelpful statements, Ulster Unionist Leader, Steve Aiken OBE MLA, said:
“I welcome the belated recognition by the Secretary of State that the protocol isn’t working. The protocol is a deeply flawed and unequal treaty which it needs to go. The EU`s only answer to the problem of the protocol is more protocol. Given the damage that it is doing, makes it unsalvageable.
“Now that the UK Government has realised the damage that the Irish Sea Border is doing to Northern Ireland, it’s time to take the necessary actions to remove further threats from it.
“The fact that the EU and Irish Government have reacted in such a dramatic, over-the-top manner to what are minimal changes to help protect businesses in Northern Ireland, tells you all you need to know about their real intentions. Simon Coveney and his EU counterparts are showing gravity defying levels of arrogance and hypocrisy given their past actions.
“If we moved at the snail`s pace which the EU is moving at, businesses would be pulling their shutters down. EU process does not match reality. Their respective statements are deeply unhelpful and show that they just don`t listen. They claim to put Northern Ireland and the Belfast Agreement first, yet their actions don’t match their words. Therefore, I am not surprised that the Irish Government, Sinn Fein and the EU are now all on the same page in opposition to measures designed to help Northern Ireland businesses.”