OPINION - FOYLE MP COLUM EASTWOOD : Boris Johnson and UK government open to talks on Derry freeport

We know that our city is going to be disproportionately damaged by the impact of a reckless Brexit that people here didn’t vote for. As an MP, I have tried at every opportunity to derail Brexit and the narrow nativist politics that has infected the British Government. But I’m also committed to doing everything I can to minimise the impact on Derry and provide new opportunities for growth.

Establishing a Freeport in our city will allow us to deliver targeted tax incentives and additional government investment to create new jobs and enhance our regional economy. It will fortify our manufacturing base and deliver new opportunities for businesses that import, process and export goods or components.

But it’s by no means a silver bullet. It’s just one tool that needs to be supplemented by a package of measures to transform the North West economy. We also need to invest in a modern transport network, new road and rail infrastructure and a skilled workforce.

Transport in this region is critical to delivering new jobs and new opportunities for people in our city. The SDLP went into the Executive so that we could make a difference to the lives of people in communities across the North. We made the decision that the best way to end the economic imbalance which has denied people in the North West their fair share of investment and opportunity is to invest in regional infrastructure like the A5, the A6 and rail upgrades. High quality infrastructure is the lifeblood of economic transformation.

The people of Derry know all too well the decades long underinvestment and neglect this city has experienced at the hands of successive Governments. This is going to be compounded by a little England Government dragging the North out of the European Union against its express wishes. We need Government to be creative, our city’s economy needs to diversify in order to compete on a global stage.

Our incredible supply of highly skilled young people should be this city’s greatest strength. Instead, they’ve become our largest export. Every year hundreds of young people from across Derry leave home to go to University elsewhere or to find opportunities that we haven’t provided for them at home. That needs to end now. An investment in skills is an investment in our young people and will deliver more sustainable communities with better prospects. It’s a no-brainer. That’s why the SDLP demanded Derry’s Medical School was included as an upfront commitment in the New Decade, New Approach document. And it’s why we were the party that secured ringfenced funding to get it off the ground. But that’s just the start, we’re committed to further integration of skills development on a cross border basis, working with our partners in the new Irish Government to deliver institutions that will be a game changer for young people in the North West. We need to send a clear message – our young people are no longer being raised for export.

A Freeport is not the answer to all our problems but it’s part of the solution. The British Government are proposing putting these in ports across Britain and they will go ahead regardless. Why should Derry again be put at a competitive disadvantage? Derry needs to be strategic; we cannot compete with low wage economies on the price of labour and nor should we. We need to aim at becoming a high wage, research and development driven city that promotes innovation in a world changing at breakneck pace.

We have a unique offer due to our strategic location with links to North America and as a gateway to Europe. Foyle Port is recognised as the sole Harbour and Pilotage Authority in Lough Foyle by both the Irish and British Governments operating daily across both jurisdictions. Unlike other regions we have the unique option of a differential corporation tax rate for the North which is already agreed in principle. These and the drive of our people make this place somewhere people will want to come and invest in.

This is in its early stages. The Government are open to having a discussion on this, we won’t be seeing signs at the harbour saying “You are now entering Free Derry Port” for some time but we need to come together as public representatives, civil society, trade unions and business to deliver something truly transformative for our city and its residents.