Sinn Féin MP Chris Hazzard has said the Brexit deadline must be extended and the British government needs to urgently live up to its commitments and legal obligations on the Brexit protections for the north contained in the Irish Protocol. 

“This report from the British House of Lords’ select Committee on the EU has found that the British government’s approach to Brexit poses a ‘potential threat to economic prosperity and political stability’ in the north. 

“This will come as no surprise to many who have long realised there is no such thing as a good Brexit and was one of the reasons why a majority in the north rejected Brexit at the polls. 

“The British government have been reckless and cavalier about the impact of Brexit on our economy, our peace agreements and our society in the north from day one. 

“We need to see the British government urgently living up to its commitments and legal obligations in relation to the protections contained in the Irish Protocol of the Withdrawal Agreement in order to protect our economy and the Good Friday Agreement. 

“Instead the British government is wasting time trying to twist and reinterpret agreements already made and in doing so harming our economy on a daily basis at a time when it is already under intense pressure.

“All the while the clock is ticking towards the Brexit deadline and a disastrous potential crash-out Brexit. It is now time to extend the Brexit deadline in order to protect our economy and our peace agreements.”