PRESS RELEASE : Declan Kearney tells British Lords that Protocol must be built upon [October 2022]

The press release issued by Sinn Fein on 21 October 2022.

Sinn Féin National Chairperson Declan Kearney has met with the British House of Lords Sub-Committee on the Protocol and reiterated Sinn Féin’s opposition to the NI Protocol Bill currently making its way through the Westminster parliament.

The South Antrim MLA said:

“As well as being a breach of International Law, The Protocol Bill which is progressing through Westminster is an affront to democracy. I reiterated that the majority of voters in the north voted against Brexit and to remain in the European Union.

“The undemocratic imposition of Brexit is the direct cause of the political instability impacting now on the north, and of the total chaos engulfing the British system itself.

“The political process here in the north is being undermined by the DUP whose actions are oblivious to the suffering of patients on our hospital waiting lists and families struggling with he cost of living crisis.

“I made it clear to the committee members that Sinn Féin welcomes the recommencement of talks between the British Government and the European Union. We want the British Government’s past belligerence to be replaced by good faith engagement. However any prospect of that happening depends upon the existence of a cohesive, stable British government.

“The next British prime minister needs to understand that the Protocol is widely supported throughout the north, particularly among business, farming and manufacturing who recognise the opportunities it provides to create jobs and investment.

“As inflation continues to rise, and the current crisis takes hold across our economy, the Protocol must be built upon. I emphasised there is no credible alternative to the Protocol and that it must be allowed to work properly and continue to protect our economy. I told the committee it is absolutely indefensible for this negotiated mechanism to be used as a pretence for a refusal to restore the power sharing Executive.”