Debate contribution: Economic Trends on the Island of Ireland

Debate contribution by Mr Phillip Brett on 26 January 2026.

MLA

Mr Phillip Brett

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

26 January 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Economic Trends on the Island of Ireland

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5340335

Read the official Assembly record

Text

There is a phrase that we hear repeated again and again in the Chamber: the so-called all-island economy. It is often presented as established fact and something beyond challenge, but repetition of untruths does not make them true. The reality, which is backed up by evidence rather than ideology, is that there is no single, all-island economy. Rather, there are two distinct economies on this island operating under different currencies, different tax systems, different welfare models and different regulatory frameworks. That is not a political slogan but an economic and political fact. Northern Ireland's economy is, always has been and always will be overwhelmingly integrated within that of the rest of the United Kingdom. Our biggest market is Great Britain: fact. The majority of our goods come from Great Britain: fact. Our service sector relies on the UK economy: fact. Energy flows from the rest of the UK: fact. Supply chains move from east to west, not from North to South: fact. Cross-border trade of course exists. No one sensible would deny that, but let me set out the facts. That trade is limited in scale, concentrated in a small number of sectors and represents only a fraction of Northern Ireland's overall economic activity, yet some continue to push the idea of an all-island economy, as it justifies sweeping constitutional change. They do so to downplay or simply ignore the reality that Northern Ireland's trade with the rest of the United Kingdom is what sustains our economic success. That trade sustains jobs and businesses in every community and underpins living standards in communities right across Northern Ireland. We heard the proposer of the motion talk about the devolution of additional fiscal powers, yet, in the 10 minutes that were allotted to her, she did not give one example of the powers that she wants to see devolved. Moreover, the Minister of Finance has not set out a credible plan for devolving the powers that he wants to see devolved. That shows the seriousness with which Sinn Féin takes the issue. It is not honest politics, and it is not serious economics. The danger of that narrative is that it is not only wrong but leads to bad policy. We have already seen what happens when abstract concepts are used to justify arrangements that disrupt trade within the United Kingdom and the real cost of that for businesses across Northern Ireland. As another Member rightly articulated last week, we have yet to see the damage that the "Alliance tax" will cause for businesses and householders across Northern Ireland. Economic policy in this place must be based on fact, not on political aspiration. Northern Ireland benefits from cooperation, where it makes sense; openness to trade; and constructive relationships across these islands. That does not, however, require us to pretend that two very different economies are, in fact, one. If we are serious about growing Northern Ireland's economy, creating jobs and delivering opportunity — the very thing that each and every person in the House was elected to do — we need to get away from that political agenda.

Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. Mr Delargy, I would take you at your word if that was mentioned in the text of the motion, but there is no recognition in the motion of the vital nature of Northern Ireland's place in the internal market of the United Kingdom. What it does call for are additional tax-raising powers. I have yet to hear a Sinn Féin Member give an example of those powers and what they would use them for. Given the proposals for hospitality that have been made by the Sinn Féin-controlled Land and Property Services (LPS), the people of Northern Ireland will join with us in saying that we do not support additional tax-raising powers being handed out at this stage. The motion is very interesting and serves some people's political agenda, but it does nothing to move on the conversation about how to have the best possible economy in Northern Ireland. It is about having open trade with our neighbours in the Republic of Ireland, but we need to tackle the imposition of the Irish sea border, which takes away Northern Ireland's place in the internal market of the United Kingdom, which the facts show is clearly our most important market. I look forward to hearing people's solutions to some of those issues, but this party opposes the motion.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:23 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification