O’Neill warns of disruptive effect on trade of triggering Stormont Brake

The DUP use of a Stormont mechanism in a bid to prevent an EU law coming into force in Northern Ireland has the potential to disrupt post-Brexit trading systems, Michelle O’Neill has said.

The Sinn Fein Stormont First Minister said her partners-in-government moved to use the Stormont Brake last month without informing her or her colleagues of their intention.

Ms O’Neill said that while she did not believe it would destabilise devolution in the region, she did raise concerns about the potential effect on the business community.

The DUP initiated the oversight mechanism contained in the UK and EU’s Windsor Framework over an updated EU regulation related to the labelling of chemicals.

The framework, and its predecessor the NI Protocol, require checks and customs paperwork on goods moving from Great Britain into Northern Ireland.

Under the arrangements, which were designed to ensure no hardening of the Irish land border post-Brexit, Northern Ireland continues to follow many EU trade and customs rules.

The brake is a mechanism that allows a minimum of 30 Stormont MLAs, from at least two parties, to refer a proposed EU law change to the UK Government.

The Government then makes an assessment of the proposed change on Northern Ireland and can ultimately veto its application in the region.

The process is a potentially lengthy one and, if the Government believes the brake has been appropriately pulled, will involve direct engagement with the EU to find a solution.

The Government is expected to inform the Assembly later this month on whether or not it will formally trigger the brake.

The DUP petition to refer the EU law change to the Government was also backed by the UUP, TUV and independent unionist MLA Claire Sugden.

As the Assembly reconvened on Monday for the first time since the festive holiday, Ms O’Neill was asked by reporters whether the DUP move could destabilise the powersharing executive in Belfast.

“No, it shouldn’t,” she replied.

“I mean, it’s a mechanism in which it can be deployed. The DUP deployed it, I think, without informing anybody that that was going to be their approach.

“However, it’s done now, the work will have to be done in terms of responding to it.

“But I’m fairly certain that what the business community want is the stability and certainty that comes with having a political agreement that everybody has signed up to and these blockages or these handbrakes, or whatever they’re called, I think serve to disrupt, and I think we should avoid that.

“I think we should try to work together and where there are issues, let’s find solutions, let’s iron them out. Let’s have the political dialogue and work it out.

“That’s not the approach they’ve (DUP) taken on this occasion, but we’ll work our way through it.”

Explaining the move before Christmas, DUP leader Gavin Robinson said industry representatives had warned that the updated EU law affecting the labelling of chemicals would create additional trade friction for the flow of products between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

“The DUP is focused on fully restoring Northern Ireland’s place in the United Kingdom and its internal market,” he said at the time.

“We have made no secret of the fact that we will use the Stormont Brake to full effect in the pursuit of our overall objectives.”