Statement by Jim Allister MLA:
“George Osborne’s claims today about the border with the Republic of Ireland are his pitiful attempt to create a local version of Project Fear.
“He claimed that the we would have to pay a tariff on goods to the Republic. Wrong. The free trade area stretches from non-EU Iceland to non-EU Turkey.
“Additionally, the UK has a large trade deficit with the EU. We buy more from them than they sell to us. In 2014 we sold £228.9bn worth of goods and services to the EU, but bought £290.6bn. Thus, put simply, the EU needs us more than we need it in terms of trade. Thus the trade arrangements resulting from Brexit will not prejudice the UK. Why would the EU cut off its nose to spite its face? It won’t.
“That being the case tit for tat tariffs are not above all in the interest of the EU.
“Equally the Chancellor’s claims about border controls have no basis in reality. The Common Travel Area between the UK and the Republic pre-dates the EU (1923) and includes the non-EU Isle of Man and the non-EU Channel Islands. It is the CTA which means we have never had, nor will have, a passport border.
“It is becoming increasingly clear that the Remain camp are spooked by the polls. The British public are not buying into Project Fear. However, having no positive case to make for the anti-democratic, unreformable and discredited EU, Remain have nothing else to offer.”