A House of Lords committee has said Northern Ireland’s much-maligned protocol has created a “feast or famine” scenario in Northern Ireland.
An examination of the protocol and wider trade found that services and businesses trading with the rest of the UK were hampered by additional bureaucracy, while those doing more business with Ireland and the EU in general benefited. Colleagues have said the border with the Irish Sea creates more bureaucracy, putting additional pressure on companies’ staff, higher costs and longer delivery times.
Lord Jay van Ewelme, Chair of the Protocol Committee on Ireland/Northern Ireland, said: “The Committee’s involvement with companies trading in and with Northern Ireland has shown that, while much uncertainty remains, the economic impact of the protocol gradually becomes clearer.
“The situation has been described to us as ‘feast or famine’, with companies that can benefit from the protocol profiting, while those that rely on trade with Britain are wrong.”
The report comes after an almighty rift in relations between the bloc and the British government, with Liz Truss pushing through legislation to unilaterally suspend elements of the Brexit deal.
The committee said the issues must be resolved quickly and called on the EU and the UK to renegotiate.