Time to go beyond the noise over NI Protocol, says Murphy

By Jonathan McCambridge, PA

Finance Minister Conor Murphy has said it is time to go “beyond the noise” around the Northern Ireland Protocol and for the area to take advantage of the unique situation of having access to two markets.

Mr Murphy also told the Assembly that there were “significant opportunities” arising from the protocol and called for issues around it to be resolved.

The Northern Ireland Protocol was designed to protect the peace process by avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland.

But it has angered unionists by effectively creating a barrier between Great Britain and Northern Ireland by leaving the region tied to a range of EU customs and regulatory rules.

Mr Murphy was answering a question from SDLP MLA Matthew O’Toole at the Assembly on Monday around the loss of EU funding caused by Brexit.

Mr O’Toole said: “Does the minister share with me an amusement of the irony of members of parties who backed Brexit standing up and decrying the loss of EU funding that communities and local Government in this place are facing as a result of Brexit?

“But can I ask the minister, does he agree with me that one of the few opportunities there are from this is the Northern Ireland Protocol, which gives us access to two markets, including the European Single Market of half a billion people?”

(Finance Minister Conor Murphy)

The Sinn Fein Finance Minister responded: “Well I don’t recall it being written on the side of the bus when it was starting on the Brexit tour that we were going to end up as net losers as a consequence of this exercise, even though many of us warned about a detrimental outcome in relation to it.

“I do, however, think there are significant opportunities.

“There are expressions of interest from different parts of the world as to our unique position in relation to both the British markets and the European markets and I think it is time to get beyond the noise in relation to Brexit and the protocol and actually resolve any issues that arise from it.

“There are supply chain issues across the world that are nothing to do with Brexit which are impacting here as well.”

The minister added: “We need to resolve those issues in the best interests of our businesses here and to get on with the opportunities which are presented in relation to the situation with the protocol and our unique position in both markets.”