Mr Robinson said,
“The Government's decision not to activate the Stormont Brake on this important issue is wrong.
The Secretary of State’s decision to ignore publicly presented evidence from industry representatives about the updated EU law (Regulation 2024/2865) on chemical labelling is a grave mistake that will exacerbate trade friction between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Trade flows in chemicals between Great Britain and Northern Ireland are worth in the region of £1bn annually. Industry experts have warned that the harmful consequences of this regulation will be increased costs for manufacturers and new barriers to trade within the United Kingdom. We note the decision of the Government to now run a consultation on chemical trade flows and its so-called commitment to no new barriers to trade relating to this. The question is, why did they not do so before this process had to be invoked?
This updated EU law will lead to increased friction and again demonstrates the impact of the application of such law. The DUP remains fully committed to restoring Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom, including removing the application of EU law in our country and the internal Irish Sea Border it creates.
There are elected representatives in Parliament and the NI Assembly who close their eyes to the impact divergence is and will have. This is utter foolishness. Our job is to stand up for Northern Ireland.
It is high time the Government stopped abdicating responsibility and started standing up for Northern Ireland with conviction, rather than surrendering to EU diktats in the absence of a coherent or credible plan.”