Debate contribution: EU Office in Belfast

Debate contribution by Ms Diana Armstrong on 12 January 2026.

MLA

Ms Diana Armstrong

Party at the time

Ulster Unionist Party

Date

12 January 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

EU Office in Belfast

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5312041

Read the official Assembly record

Text

The motion is presented as if it is about supporting businesses in Northern Ireland. On closer examination, however, it is clearly about politics and posturing, not practical solutions. The motion tells us to celebrate dual market access, assures us:

"the worst impacts of Brexit ... have been mitigated by the Windsor framework"

and then calls for the creation of an EU office in Belfast. None of that addresses the day-to-day reality facing businesses across Northern Ireland that are grappling with regulatory divergence, rising costs and ongoing uncertainty. Let me say plainly that I opposed Brexit. I have worked inside the European Commission, and I understand how the institutions function in practice. That experience gives me no confidence that creating another publicly funded EU structure in Belfast would meaningfully help local businesses. On the contrary, it would risk becoming yet another costly, bureaucratic talking shop, delivering headlines rather than tangible assistance. Northern Ireland already has a dedicated delegation and office from the European Union. It even has "Northern Ireland" in its title: Delegation of the European Union to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. To operate an office in Northern Ireland would undermine the sovereignty of the United Kingdom, of which Northern Ireland is a constituent part.

No. I will carry on for now, thank you. We are already in a position in which EU regulations are being introduced in Northern Ireland incrementally, month by month, with limited democratic oversight. Businesses are forced to adapt continuously, often with little notice and less clarity. In that context, the last thing that they need is another layer of governance and another source of complexity. The motion claims that the Windsor framework has mitigated the worst impacts of Brexit: many businesses would strongly dispute that assessment. The framework has reduced some immediate disruption, but it has entrenched divergence and uncertainty. That is not a stable platform for growth, investment or long-term planning. What businesses have repeatedly called for is clarity, simplicity and certainty. That is why Lord Murphy's recommendation of a single, comprehensive, online one-stop shop for trade guidance across the United Kingdom is the solution. Such a mechanism would provide immediate practical support without creating new layers of bureaucracy, new premises or new layers of administration. Northern Ireland's economy has enormous potential, but growth will not be delivered by symbolic gestures or political theatre. It will be delivered by coherent policy, regulatory stability and genuine engagement with the business community. The motion, with its vague commitments and costly proposals for an EU office, does not meet those standards. The Ulster Unionist Party believes that our focus must remain on delivery, solutions and support for business that is real, not rhetorical. For those reasons, the UUP will not support the motion.

460 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:17 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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