North Antrim MP Jim Allister has fiercely criticised the government’s continued support for the implementation of the Irish Sea parcels border. It comes as the planned introduction of the system was yet again delayed - for a third time.
Allistair branded it a “destructive” and “absurd” policy that threatens the unity of the United Kingdom’s economy.
The controversial border, intended to regulate parcel movements between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, has now been postponed to 1 May 2025, with implementation set to begin on that date.
In a strongly worded statement, Mr Allister, a King’s Counsel and prominent unionist voice, expressed frustration, arguing that the repeated delays underscore the impracticality and harm of the measure.
“Today we received yet another reminder of the fact that we are still being shielded from the destructive consequences of the Irish Sea border as it disinherits us from our wider home economy,” he said.
Originally slated for 30 September 2024, with preparatory seminars held from April last year, the border’s launch was first pushed to 31 March 2025 amid mounting concerns. Now, the latest deferral has intensified debate over its implications.
Mr Allister lambasted the policy as an attack on the UK’s economic cohesion. “Trying to impose a customs border on parcels movements within a national economy is completely absurd,” he declared, likening it to earlier efforts to hinder the flow of goods within what he called “the UK single market for goods.”
He warned that the parcels border’s introduction would “seal the demise” of this market, effectively creating “a GB single market for goods, and an island of Ireland single market for goods, subject to all island laws, imposed on us.”
The MP pointed to the economic fallout already evident in the delays, citing “costly and destructive implications” highlighted by businesses in testimony to the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee last week.
He accused the Republic of Ireland and the wider European Union of orchestrating a “deliberate attempt” to undermine the UK, arguing that the policy breaches international law.
Quoting the Declaration on Principles of International Law, Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States, he noted it mandates that “every State shall refrain from any action aimed at the partial or total disruption of the national unity and territorial integrity of any other State or country.” He added that these principles “constitute basic principles of international law,” urging strict adherence.
The repeated postponements—first announced on 19 September 2024, just weeks before the initial deadline, and now again this week—have fuelled Mr Allister’s contention that the policy is unworkable. “We are now on our third commencement date,” he remarked, suggesting the government’s hesitancy reflects the measure’s inherent flaws.
As Northern Ireland braces for the eventual rollout, Mr Allister’s comments underscore a deepening rift over post-Brexit trade arrangements, with unionists decrying what they see as an erosion of the region’s place within the UK.
Pressure continues to mount ahead of the new 1 May deadline.