Mr Brett said:
“The FSB’s findings are yet another clear indication that the Windsor Framework is costly, disruptive and unworkable for businesses. Some 58% of businesses that were surveyed stated that they were having moderate to significant challenges as a result of its implementation. Over a third have already ceased trade rather than deal with the new bureaucracy and associated compliance documents. Indeed, it is deeply troubling that firms in Great Britain now find it more straightforward to export to countries on the other side of the world than to trade within our own United Kingdom.
For the DUP, the notion of dual market access has always been a myth. Nonetheless it should be viewed as significant that business representatives are now on record as saying the UK market is ‘increasingly closing’ due to the Windsor Framework.
The best way to resolve these challenges is not through the full-throated implementation of EU customs and regulatory regimes as has been the approach of the Labour Government in recent weeks. Whether it be on customs, parcels, food labelling or the movement of new and used vehicles and machinery, inflicting more EU law on trade flows within the UK internal market will increase the harm for businesses, consumers and Northern Ireland’s constitutional position.
The Government must acknowledge that with trade diversion and the discontinuation of many products, the status quo is unsustainable. We need to see Ministers stand up for the integrity of the UK Internal Market and the United Kingdom as a whole. The time for decisive action has long passed.’’