🚨BREXIT THREAD🚨 Today the NI Business Brexit Working Group published its response to the UKG Command paper on the NI Protocol called implementing the NI Protocol: What Business in NI needs & why. So let's look at what we have said: 1/11 
The overarching finding of the report is that while progress has been made & the ambitions of the UKG are laudable, there is a need for technical detail to allow business to prepare for the changes that will come into force on 1 January 2021 and that detail needs to come now 2/11
Part of that detail is a need for detail of how goods flow both ways across the Irish sea as well how the integrated nature of the whole island economy can be maintained. Our economy is built on those integrated supply chains across these islands. 3/11
The solutions that are brought forward need to reflect the needs of business & consumers e.g applied trusted trader schemes on SPS as well as customs. Remember Checks = paperwork = delays = costs which neither biz nor the NI consumer can afford. 4/11
Govts in NI and GB must undertake to educate business large & small about what the protocol implementation means in practice for them & their customers. This is an existential issue for many & we need clear unambiguous guidance 5/ 11
The overriding asks of business – for representation, mitigation, derogation and compensation – remain essential if NI is to safely navigate this upheaval. Mitigations from UKG and derogations/generosity of spirit from the EU to let it happen. 6/11
The report also found that there is little bandwidth or financial capacity amongst the NI business community to deal with this now because of C-19 and frankly it is going to be just as hard in January 2021 7/11
Last of the main findings was that there is a need for better access to UKG to discuss these issues that will fundamentally change how we do business. This isn;t just political engagement but experts talking to work out the detail of the new trade normal 8/11
We said in January to have everything in place that business needs to trade successfully will be a Herculean task and it has only gotten harder since then. That's why we need to see movement. Biz doesn't play the blame game we are pragmatic. We want both side to move 9/11
There are 67 Qs in the report that need answered by UKG & that is only scratching the surface of the detail that will be needed. With only 2 weeks to Euro Council meeting & less than a month until the deadline transition period extension ask, time is ticking for NI biz 10/11
We are simply asking the UKG to build on its own commitments because If we get this wrong this is not just an economic issue for business but a standard of life issue for households across Northern Ireland. You can find a copy of the report here: brc.org.uk/news/corporate… ENDS
