SDLP Foyle MP Colum Eastwood
Speaking in the House of Commons, the Foyle MP said that Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson have again missed an opportunity to support communities in the North and fortify the benefits of dual market access under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Said Mr Eastwood: “This budget may have been billed as a bonanza for the North of England, where people will see decentralisation of jobs, investment hubs and enterprise zones, but there’s nothing in what Rishi Sunak said today that will be of much comfort to people or businesses in the North of Ireland.
“The British Chancellor’s aversion to using the word ‘Brexit’ was obvious.
“But by refusing to engage with the challenges faced by people and businesses here, this government has again missed an opportunity to fortify the opportunities presented by the Protocol.
“We should be building on the benefits of dual market access by creating new investment hubs in border communities here, amplifying their ambidextrous trading potential.
“Instead, what we got was a commitment to increase corporation tax in 2023.
“What that means is that a business in Derry will be paying double the rate of corporate tax that businesses a mile over the border will pay.
“It just puts into sharp focus how little ambition this government has for people here.”
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