Derry MLA Martina Anderson rubbishes claims Brexit offers opportunity for Derry and says ‘we are on a hiding to nothing’

The Sinn Féin MLA is more worried about trade shocks when the grace period being afforded to the UK to sort out ‘rules of origin’ red tape ends.

Ms. Anderson said: “The grace period that we have at this moment in time is three months for the supply chain, six months for chilled food, and a year for pharmaceuticals and medicines. We need to make sure we don’t waste the grace period because the British government has declared it’s forbidden to ask for an extension. Potentially chaos could arise if people are not prepared. I would encourage businesses to prepare.

“Even though I have a lot of sympathy with the argument that there needs to be an extension of the grace period, I think we are on a hiding to nothing. People talk about the best of both worlds and all of that. The largest number of businesses here operate on an all-island basis. Some of the bigger firms and volume is going across to England. But the lion’s share of the number of businesses in the north is made up of SMEs that operate on an all-island basis.”

Irish reunification remains a solution to the negative outworkings of Brexit, which, she says, had no mandate here.

“There is a big conversation happening. It’s happening in Europe. Emmanuel Macron has said the solution of the Brexit problem is Irish unity but that’s up to the people of Ireland. In America and across the world people are looking at us knowing that our future, in terms of prosperity for the north and the island, is in reunification.”