TUV leader Jim Allister MP said:
“While I am, of course delighted that DAERA has temporarily suspended checks on lorries moving goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, arising from Hollyhead being out of action, it is incumbent upon me to highlight what this decision tells us about the EU and its attitude to Northern Ireland.
“This action demonstrates that the Irish Sea border is applied entirely at the EU’s pleasure and that key aspects of the border – which we are told is essential – can actually be suspended when it is in the interests of the EU and the Republic of Ireland to do so. If the border can be suspended so that people in the Republic are not inconvenienced by not receiving their Christmas presents and other supplies, it could and should be removed so that the people of Northern Ireland are not inconvenienced by the gross civic indignity of our disenfranchisement in 300 areas of law and gross economic indignity of being alienated from the rest of our home economy and supply chains.
“The entirely one-sided nature of this arrangement, which perfectly expresses the colonial nature of our relationship to our imperial masters, is underlined by the fact that when Northern Ireland was in difficulty in March 2022 as a result of the suspension of P&O ferries, I am advised that requests that lorries destined for Northern Ireland should similarly be able to move on a temporary basis through Dublin without checks was not facilitated.
“Coming within less than seven days of the EU effectively cutting many small NI businesses off from their GB supply chains through the application of the General Product Safety Regulation the self-serving nature of the EU and its total and complete disregard for Northern Ireland is staggering.”