UK-EU deal: Uncertain future for £200m NI port infrastructure
Almost £200m worth of recently-built port infrastructure in Northern Ireland faces partial redundancy when this week's EU-UK deal is eventually implemented.Food products and plants being shipped from Great Britain currently have to pass through government-operated border control posts (BCPs) at Northern Ireland ports.That will no longer be necessary when an agrifood deal is implemented.In April, a government minister said new BCPs at Belfast, Larne, Foyle and Warrenpoint would be "operationally ready" by July.
Baroness Hayman said the government had committed to "a maximum funding envelope of £192.3m" for the facilities, of which £71m had been spent by February this year.The BCPs are being paid for by the UK government but will be handed over to the Northern Ireland Executive when complete.After Brexit, Northern Ireland effectively stayed inside the EU's single market for goods while the rest of the UK left.The EU has strict rules on food, plants and animals entering its single market including the stipulation that they must pass through a BCP where they can be checked and paperwork inspected.Northern Ireland's ports already had limited BCPs for inspecting animals from Great Britain and food products from outside the EU.Under the terms of the UK's 2019 deal with the EU, the BCPs needed to be hugely expanded to deal with the volume of trade from Great Britain - for example the Larne BCP is being expanded to cover a 10-acre site.This was controversial among unionists as it was the most obvious physical manifestation of the "Irish Sea border" created by the 2019 deal.
How does the UK-EU deal affect NI's ports?
When the new deal is implemented, all of the UK will return to following EU agrifood rules.That means checks will no longer be required on Great British goods entering Northern Ireland, drastically reducing the volume of goods passing through BCPs.The facilities will not be entirely redundant as a small volume of non-EU goods being shipped directly to Northern Ireland will still require inspections and Larne will continue its pre-Brexit role in livestock inspections.
On Tuesday, DUP MP Sammy Wilson asked the prime minister if construction could now stop at the Larne BCP, which is in his constituency.Sir Keir Starmer said: "I want to ensure that we have real improvement in the situation on the ground and do not go to unnecessary expense. "I genuinely believe that, for Northern Ireland, this was a big step in the right direction."The new deal also raises questions about the BCP at Holyhead in north Wales which is being built to inspect food products from the Republic of Ireland arriving into Great Britain. Regulatory inspections of EU food products arriving into Great Britain will also be scrapped when the deal is implemented.
Last week the Welsh government said the majority of building work on the Holyhead site is '"now nearing completion" and is due to be finished by the end of the summer.The UK government is reportedly considering selling at least one of the BCP sites in Great Britain. It's understood Stormont's Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) is at an early stage of assessing the future of the Northern Ireland BCPs.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
22 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Brits can skip passport queues at major holiday destination from this week
Cabinet Office Minister Nick Thomas Symonds confirmed Keir Starmer's deal with the EU was delivering benefits already - allowing holidaymakers to zip through eGates instead of lengthy passport queues Holidaymakers from the UK can skip lengthy passport queues at a major European holiday destination from today, after Keir Starmer cut a deal with the EU. Faro Airport in Portugal will start the rollout of eGate access to UK arrivals this week, the minister for EU relations has said. Taking a question about steps "to improve relations with the EU", Nick Thomas-Symonds - a minister in the Cabinet Office - told the Commons: "The historic deal that we signed with the EU on May 19 is in our national interests - good for bills, borders and jobs. "It slashes red tape and bureaucracy, boosts British exporters and makes life easier for holidaymakers. "Indeed, I'm delighted to confirm this morning that Faro Airport in Portugal will start the rollout of e-gate access to UK arrivals this week." Starmer described the deal as a "win-win" as he shook hands with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in London last month. "Britain is back on the world stage," he declared. "[The deal] gives us unprecedented access to the EU market, the best of any country... all while sticking to the red lines in our manifesto." The PM went on to explain the impact of the "new partnership between an independent Britain and our allies in Europe" on voters' daily lives. "Let me set out why it is good for Britain," he said in a speech posted to X. "Today's deal will [...] help British holidaymakers. We're confirming that they will be able to use e-gates when they travel to Europe, ending those huge queues at passport control." Since Brexit, British passport holders have been considered "visa-exempt third-country nationals" and have generally had to queue for manual checks at border control to have their passport stamped. Brits were able to use e-gates at a limited number of airports in Spain and Portugal. However, the EU has now agreed to ease checks on British travellers more universally. The deal states that "there will be no legal barriers to e-gate use for British nationals travelling to and from European Union." It's yet to be confirmed when the rest of the rollout will go ahead. But the EU plans to launch its new Entry/Exit System (EES) in October 2025, replacing the need for non-EU citizens to have their passports stamped. It is thought that more EU airports will allow UK passengers to use the e-gates after the new system comes into effect. The system will require travellers to have their fingerprints scanned and a photograph taken so they can be registered to a database. Their data will then be stored for three years. Those who do not provide a fingerprint scan and photo will be denied entry. Some EU airports will still require additional checks and Brits may not be able to use e-gates here. Brits will also still be subject to the '90-day rule', whereby eligible non-EU citizens can spend 90 days in any 180-day period in the EU without a visa. Travel records will be digitised under the new EES to enforce this rule and increase border security. The 'landmark deal' is also expected to "lower food prices at checkouts", improve UK defence and put "more money in people's pockets," according to Starmer. Von der Leyen described it as "a historic moment [...] opening a new chapter in our unique relationship."
The Independent
30 minutes ago
- The Independent
Anti-Brexit newspaper changes name to reflect ‘reality' of global politics
The New European, a 'Remainer' magazine launched in response to the Brexit referendum, is being renamed to reflect the changing picture of global politics. The rebrand to The New World is a nod to the 'the global unravelling' which started with Britain leaving the EU but is now being seen worldwide in countries such as the US, according to founder and editor in chief Matt Kelly. 'The New European was conceived as a pop-up provocation; a defiant middle finger to the rising tide of right wing populism that brought us Brexit,' said Mr Kelly. 'Nine years later, the world and The New European has changed dramatically. This is a reflection of that new reality. 'We know there is enormous appetite for our style of journalism - vibrant, constructive, witty and full of ideas and great reads that make sense of this extraordinary moment in world politics and culture.' The New European, which has published more than 400 editions, had 35,000 paying subscribers and claim revenues have trebled since the business moved independent three years ago. Tony Blair's former spin doctor Alastair Campbell, who is editor-at-large of The New European newspaper, said themes that underpinned Brexit are playing out around the world, including a political shift to the right in many nations. 'We're always going to be very passionately anti-Brexit, very pro internationalism, liberal democracy,' said Mr Campbell. 'When we started the paper, you could never have predicted [where we are]. Just to look at United States alone. You wouldn't have predicted that Ukraine and Russia were going to be fighting a war on the edge of Europe. Lots has happened - it's a reflection of that.' Mr Campbell said he will 'never resile from the view that Brexit is the biggest act of self harm that we've inflicted upon ourselves', but added: 'I'm hoping this will be the next chapter of a story that we're going to keep telling, which is that liberal democracy is the way forward, that nationalism is not the answer to the challenges that we face, that populism is doomed to fail, and there's a better way that involves people with an optimistic, internationalist outlook.' New contributing editors slated to join The New World include Sonia Sodha, formerly of The Observer, The Revenge of Power author Moises Naim and Tom Baldwin, Keir Starmer's biographer and former senior advisor to Labour.
Reuters
35 minutes ago
- Reuters
ECB rate decision live: European Central Bank set to cut interest rates again, markets edge higher
FILE PHOTO: ECB headquarters, Frankfurt, Germany, March 6, 2025. REUTERS/Jana Rodenbusch In April, the ECB cut rates by 25 basis points to 2.25%, the seventh cut in a year, warning that economic growth will take a big hit from U.S. tariffs. The ECB has taken borrowing costs to their lowest level since late 2022, as the sharp post-pandemic inflation spike has largely disappeared and fast-moving changes to trade policies sap business confidence and depress growth. 'Downside risks to economic growth have increased," Lagarde said after policymakers agreed unanimously to cut the ECB's benchmark rate. "The major escalation in global trade tensions and associated uncertainties will likely lower euro area growth by dampening exports, and it may drive down investment and consumption," she said. Lagarde gave away almost nothing about the bank's next moves, insisting policymakers would decide meeting-by-meeting.
