Debate contribution: UK-EU Summit

Debate contribution by Mr Andrew Muir on 19 May 2025.

MLA

Mr Andrew Muir

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

19 May 2025

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Question for Urgent Oral Answer

Heading

UK-EU Summit

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4968507

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I very much welcome the agreements announced today as part of the UK-EU summit. Like everyone else, I will need to take some time to consider the full text of what has been agreed, but, on the basis of what I know to date, I believe that it is a significant and incredibly positive outcome. I am glad to play a role in getting it over the line. I thank all the officials involved in the discussions, which went on until late last night. Whilst responsibility for sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) controls does not rest with me, I am clear that there are real benefits from the alignment of GB regulations with those in the EU: achieving that would mean the removal of almost all certification and controls on movements of SPS goods from GB to the EU. I am also pleased that there is a wide scope to the agreement covering all the SPS areas, including marketing standards, organics, pesticides and food compositional standards. I welcome the commitment of the UK and the EU to work together towards establishing a link between carbon markets by way of an agreement that links the UK emissions trading scheme with the EU emissions trading system. Hopefully, that work will result in the avoidance of potential future problems for Northern Ireland that might arise from having separate, unlinked emissions trading schemes for the UK and the EU. I emphasise that today's announcements are a commitment to work to put various agreements in place within certain parameters. There will be no changes overnight. In the meantime, I am committed to the full, faithful and timely implementation of the current Windsor framework arrangements until further agreements are in place. I hope that that can take place as quickly as possible, but there are no definitive timescales at present.

I have always been consistent that Brexit was a really bad idea — a bad idea for Northern Ireland and a bad idea for the UK economy. I regret the fact that, going into the negotiations, the UK Government set redlines whereby they would not consider joining a customs union or the four pillars of the single market. We are all clear about the impact of Brexit on the UK economy. In recent analysis, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) set out that Brexit will result in a 15% trade reduction and a 4% reduction in national income in the long term. That is the reality of Brexit. However, today's announcement is positive, because it helps to deal with some of the practical issues that we have been experiencing with movements in the past number of years. The customs challenges will remain, but what has been announced today will deal with practical issues that consumers, businesses, our farmers and the agri-food industry have been dealing with. What does that mean? It means, for example, helping with the movement of food, including sausages, ready meals, animals and seed potatoes. Those are practical issues that we have been experiencing. We will hopefully get the negotiations over the line and move forward. I wish that the Government would have a bit more ambition and look towards joining a customs union, because we should have an ambition to grow our economy.

When I came into office in February last year, I told the House that I would focus on solutions rather than problems. Some people in the House seem to go looking for problems and look to enlarge them. I am focused on solutions. I am also focused on engaging with the UK Government and the EU, and that is what I have been doing since I came into office. It is really important that we do that. I am also about showing trust and building trust with the UK and the EU, so I will very much uphold the commitment to full, timely and faithful implementation of the Windsor framework. I am confident that, if we do that, we will be able to complete the negotiations and deal with the practical issues. There are a lot of technical details that we need to work through, and that is why I am going to Brussels in the next number of weeks and why I will continue to engage with the UK Government on issues such as used agricultural machinery and the movement of animals for show and sale. Those are practical issues that people have been raising with me when I am out and about, and I want to resolve them. I do not underestimate the challenges of Brexit. It was mis-sold to people in Northern Ireland and across the United Kingdom. When I went to the Oxford Farming Conference in January, I got a round of applause when I said that Brexit was a really bad idea. Do you know why? It was because farmers across the United Kingdom know the impact that it has had. The deal is a positive move for Northern Ireland, and I thank the UK Government for getting it over the line. When they came into office last year, they inherited an absolute mess. However, they have engaged with me consistently and listened to the needs of Northern Ireland, and I am confident that they will continue to do that.

The rollover of the current agreement for a further 12 years until 2038 will bring a degree of certainty to that area, but I know that there are challenges around it. I am also conscious that the outcome is not a surprise. However, included in the statement is a £360-million fund for fishing and coastal communities. That announcement was made, and, as soon as I heard about that, I spoke to the Minister in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and said," I want a slice of that cake". I want to deliver that support to Portavogie, Ardglass and Kilkeel ports; that is what we need to do. On the greater outcome and the point about sacrificial lambs, it is not lost on me that the Member's previous leader said that he could live with 40,000 jobs being lost in Northern Ireland. I am about creating jobs, not losing them.

Thank you, Mr Aiken — Dr Aiken, to give you your full title. It is an important issue that you raise, and that is why I set out at the beginning today my concerns around customs. It is regrettable that the UK Government did not grasp the opportunity to join a customs union, because that would have addressed a lot of the issues that will remain, regardless of the agreement. However, as ever, I go looking for solutions. Lord Murphy has been tasked to review the Windsor framework, and, in the context of the announcement, I will engage with him. It is really important that the focus of his work turns to the simplification of the customs arrangements, such as the tariff reimbursement mechanism. We need to simplify and streamline that. There are challenges, and we need to work out ways to overcome them. The best way to do that would be to have a customs union. I think, very clearly, that, in my lifetime, we will join a customs union, and the sooner, the better.

Thank you, Colin. You have raised an important issue, and, to be fair, you have been consistent on that. Labour force challenges, particularly in our fishing industry but also, for example, in butchery, agri-food and the mushroom sector, are acute. I am disappointed. The UK Government reached out to the devolved Administrations and asked for our views on the White Paper that they published last Monday. They asked for views from all the devolved Administrations — Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. I provided that input to the Executive Office, because it is important that we address the labour challenges. Unfortunately, the Executive Office never sent a letter.

Unfortunately, veterinary medicines are outside the scope of the agreement, and that is regrettable. Since the new Government have come in, I have been making the point to them that they need to engage with the experts on the ground. They have been engaging with officials in my Department, looking at the problem and at how we can address it. The problem is now significantly different from what it was perceived to be last summer. I know that significant challenges remain around that, but I have a commitment from the UK Government today that they will engage intensively with me and with my officials on the proposed arrangements to deal with veterinary medicines. It is really important that we do that because we need to give certainty to farmers, to the agri-food sector and to the veterinary service in Northern Ireland. We will continue to do that, and that is why I want to get over to Brussels soon. Let us get an agreement on veterinary medicines over the line.

I have already answered the question about veterinary medicines. I will continue engagement to get a resolution to that. I have outlined my position on customs. It was not me who championed Brexit.

Today is a historic moment in the relationship between the UK and the EU. It has been a long time coming. Part of me looks back at previous years and asks what it was all about. I think that I know what it was all about, Stewart: it was about putting ideology above people's jobs and livelihoods. We need to take a step back and understand what we are here to do. We are here to serve. We are here to make sure that people are able to support their families. We want to see job creation, and we want to see a boost in trade. There are many aspects to the agreement that are important, particularly on the security pact. It is really important that we stand together across Europe against Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. The deal contains significant elements around that, and I welcome that.

The process has now to continue to where we get the legal text and conclude the negotiations on the frameworks set out in it. I have been told by the UK Government that they are talking about months rather than years. It is really important that I set it out that the full, timely and faithful implementation of the Windsor framework remains. If you are going to do a deal, you have to support it and you have to deliver on it. That is why that will continue until we get these negotiations completed. It is useful that, on an SPS agreement, they have set the parameters for any exceptions around that. That is really important, because it gives me assurance around issues that I have been on the record about, for example precision breeding and lab meat. This is a moving feast, and it will take a while to get it completed, but this is massive progress. Massive progress.

Thank you, Patsy. Whilst this will help to deal with the issue of the movement of sausages from GB to NI, I have to admit that I am always a fan of a Cookstown sizzler. That is where my loyalty lies, and that has nothing to do with the fact they are from your constituency. We will continue to have access to the single market beyond just agri-food. That is unique access that Scotland, Wales and England and many people whom I speak to are jealous of. I regret that, in the announcement, there is no confirmation of alignment across wider standards, because that is a concern that has been expressed. There is lots to be positive about in this, but there is a lot more that I would like to have seen. I will continue to argue that case because being able to have that alignment on standards will help us.

I speak to the manufacturing industry, for example, which is clear that having access to the single market is a real benefit for Northern Ireland, and it is important that we acknowledge that. I also speak to many people in agri-food, such as those in our dairy industry, who are very keen to ensure that we retain the Windsor framework and the safeguards that it provides for their industry.

What I advocate is that we engage in Brussels. It is very clear in the agreement that there is an opportunity to engage —

I will answer the question. There is an opportunity to engage on law formation. What seems to be forgotten, however, is the fact that the Member's party, the DUP, entirely denied the Assembly the ability to influence health. What is the situation in health? The longest waiting lists in the whole of the United Kingdom. People downed tools and walked away and denied us the opportunity to have the democratic scrutiny of health, education, justice and the environment. It is important that the Assembly sits and does its job.

Thank you, John. I welcome paragraph 21 of the joint statement from the UK and the EU, which states:

"We recognise our shared commitment to climate security and will strengthen cooperation on international aspects of the issue."

It also states:

"We remain committed to the goals of the Paris Agreement and to implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework targets"

and look forward:

"to working together to address pressing climate issues".

It is really important that the UK and the EU are resetting relationships not just on SPS areas but on climate, the environment and, importantly, climate security. We should welcome that.

The agreement deals with some of the issues that you raised, Mr Buckley. It deals with the movements of animals for show or sale within the context of the threat of bluetongue to Northern Ireland, and we have to be conscious of that. It will deal with lots of other issues, such as used agricultural machinery. Those are practical issues, and I only wish that we had got to this position a long time ago. It is important delivery for our agri-food industry and the farming community. Those are issues that people have been bringing to me. With the greatest respect, rather than engaging pantomime politics with you and the rest of your party, I have been engaging in solutions.

I intend to head to Brussels in the next number of weeks to have that engagement. It is important that we have that sustained engagement, which I will also have with the UK Government. I am also conscious of the fact that inheritance tax is one of the biggest concerns for our agri-food industry and farming community, and I raised it this morning as part of my engagement with the UK Government, because it is an important issue. I made a request for a meeting with Treasury officials on it. I have a particular concern, which comes from a mental-health perspective, about older farmers who did not see that change on the horizon or the anxiety that it is causing them. I have asked to meet the Treasury so that we can focus on mitigations because the UK Government need to listen to concerns and respond to them.

The Windsor framework was very clear, and it is important for us to understand that we base progress on that. The full, timely and faithful implementation of the Windsor framework is important. I have been clear that the agreement does not deal with a number of issues of concern. Your colleague Dr Aiken touched on customs, and I agreed with him. Veterinary medicines are not part of this, so there are a number of areas that are not there that we all wish had been there. However, significant parameters have been set for the negotiation of the SPS agreement, and that gives me confidence that it will resolve those significant issues around movements from GB to the EU or GB to NI. It is clear that that is the progress around that. There is a lot of detail, and I could bore you all with it, but, together with my officials, I am going to put a lot of work into getting that sorted.

You are right that there is potential and opportunity for Northern Ireland. That is why I will be engaging in trade missions to Germany and Canada in the time ahead, because they are significant markets for us. Businesses need certainty, and it is important to give them that. That is why I keep talking about the full, faithful and timely implementation of the Windsor framework. It is really important to do that so that businesses know that they are engaging in a process in which the rules are not going to change. That is key for us. The agri-food industry has been through a lot of difficulties in the past number of years. Matthew, you have to remember that one of the people who came here to solve Brexit was Liz Truss, and the DUP championed her economics. I understand why some people in business may be hesitant to move forward, but this deal is positive and will hopefully give people the confidence to invest for the future. Why do we talk about investing for the future? We do so because it is about people's jobs and livelihoods and supporting their families.

Today, it was announced that there will be a fund of £360 million for fishing and coastal communities. I will engage heavily with DEFRA on what we will get as a result of that. It is really important to support our fishing industry and coastal communities. I understand the challenges that the deal has for the fishing communities, and that is why I want to engage to see what we can do to support those towns. I have been to Portavogie, Ardglass and Kilkeel, and I know the issues. We need the funding to support those areas.

We still need to work through the detail of the arrangements for pet travel, and we will continue to do that. I cannot solve everything in the mess that your party created but I will do the best I can.

The SPS veterinary agreement probably means nothing to many people in Northern Ireland. Essentially, it means that Northern Ireland is part of the EU single market for food, animals and plants, and the EU is keen to ensure that Northern Ireland has top-level biosecurity. I thank the staff who are implementing the current situation to safeguard Northern Ireland and our agri-food industry. It will mean that there are common standards across GB, the EU and NI in those areas. There have been difficulties in recent years with the movement of plants, such as seed potatoes and rose bushes, and the movement of animals for show or sale. There have also been some difficulties with food, whether sausages or takeaway meals and so on. Those will largely be resolved, but customs issues will remain. That is why, as a party, we have been consistent from day 1 that we should join the customs union.

It was not changed as a result of the stand taken by the DUP. The DUP crashed public services and left this place without democratic scrutiny. The UK then found a willingness to engage respectfully with the EU. That is how you negotiate international agreements. I understand the importance of the UK single market, but I also understand the importance of the EU single market. We have the best of both worlds in relation to, for example, agri-food, which we can export to the EU and GB. That is really important. I know that there are challenges. I really do not underestimate the challenges that we face in the situation that we have arrived at as a result of Brexit. However, I speak to many people in our agri-food industry in Northern Ireland, and they see being able to export to the EU and GB as an advantage. Hopefully, that political certainty will allow those businesses to grow. I judge things not by ideology but by whether they make people's living standards better and secure jobs and businesses. Often, the needs of businesses in Northern Ireland have been ignored, particularly by your party, and it is about time that you listened to them.

There are lots of issues in the Member's question. Ultimately, I look at where the benefits lie. Northern Ireland's economy is actually doing a bit better than that of the rest of the UK. That is the reality. Look at the damage that Brexit has caused in all of this.

Yes, and what happened back in 2016 was that people said that this big red bus was going to arrive. There would be all this money, and public services were going to be great. Guess what? The bus never arrived.

3,464 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:38 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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