Northern Ireland

• In the Brexit referendum, Northern Ireland voted strongly to remain in the EU but had a hard Brexit forced on them by a Government well aware of the specific issues it would create.
• Indeed, Lord Frost has since said that when he and Boris Johnson negotiated the NI protocol ahead of Brexit, they “always hoped” it would eventually collapse, despite describing the protocol as a “great deal” at the time
• Boris Johnson and his government openly lied to businesses and politicians in Northern Ireland by stating that there would be no border down the Irish sea and that NI would have unfettered trade access. By this time he had already signed up to the Northern Ireland Protocol.
• Unplanned by either the Conservatives or the DUP and helped by compromise from the  EU in an effort to avoid a hard border in Ireland, Northern Ireland is now the only part of the UK that could potentially benefit from Brexit. As the only part of this country both in the UK and the EU single market, N Ireland has a USP for investors.
• Best for Britain welcomed the Windsor Framework which shared many of the recommendations made by the UK Trade and Business Commission and we rallied business support behind the deal.

Previous reactive lines: 

Naomi Smith on the Windsor Framework: “This agreement shows what can be achieved by turning the page on previous disputes and by breaking down barriers with our closest neighbours, we can provide businesses across the UK with the certainty and stability they desperately need to prosper in an extremely challenging economic environment. Successful negotiations always involve compromise and while some will focus on what has been given up rather than what has been gained, we should all welcome the flexibility shown by both the EU and UK in the interests of providing stability for the people of Northern Ireland.”