Brexit secretary Steve Barclay has been hammered over the prospect of checks on goods coming in and out of Northern Ireland, after apparent inconsistencies in the government’s position.

Earlier this week the minister admitted that firms in Northern Ireland would have to fill out export declaration forms when sending goods to Great Britain under the terms of the new Brexit deal.

Asked at a House of Lords EU committee hearing on Monday whether Northern Irish firms exporting to the UK would have to fill out the declarations, Barclay replied: “No, because we’ve said in terms of from Northern Ireland to GB that it would be frictionless.”

Later on during the same session, Barclay clarified: “Just to be clear, the exit summary declarations will be required in terms of Northern Ireland to GB.”

Today he insisted this was just “administrative processes”, involving a single form which would be submitted electronically, without involving “physical checks”.

He noted that “minimal, targeted interventions” would be needed to make sure imports and exports align with the new rules.

Barclay told MPs: “The issue here is that these are administrative processes that pertain in particular to international obligations – on things like diamonds, endangered species.

“But it is the case that there have been concerns expressed in Northern Ireland and there have been concerns expressed, which I very much respect, from our confidence and supply partners.”

But those partners, the Democratic Unionist Party, reacted with visible anger.

Nigel Dodds, DUP’s Westminster leader, told Barclay to “wake up”, arguing that these processes were checks.

“He now calls them administrative processes but they are exit declarations that’ll need to be checked.”

“Let’s have a bit of clarity here,” Dodds told Barclay. “You are really in danger of causing real problems with the Belfast Agreement, the St Andrews Agreement and political stability by what you are doing to the unionist community,” he said.

“Please wake up… don’t plough ahead regardless.”

Fellow DUP MP David Simpson added: “Are we the sacrificial lamb that had to be made to get the deal over the line?”

Labour MP and home affairs select committee chair Yvette Cooper agreed, saying Barclay was “fudging the language on this is a serious problem when trust is needed”.

Just yesterday the Prime Minister told MPs there would be no invisible border in the Irish Sea.

During Wednesday’s PMQs, Boris Johnson said: “There will be no checks between Northern Ireland and GB, and there will be no tariffs between Northern Ireland and GB, because we have protected the customs union.”



Main image: Getty