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Donna McLean: The people must profit from Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit investment

Northern Ireland remains one of the most deprived regions of the UK, and now is the time to change that.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak holds a Q&A session with local business leaders during a visit to Coca-Cola HBC in Lisburn, Northern Ireland (Image: Liam McBurney/AP/Shutterstock)
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak holds a Q&A session with local business leaders during a visit to Coca-Cola HBC in Lisburn, Northern Ireland (Image: Liam McBurney/AP/Shutterstock)

Northern Ireland remains one of the most deprived regions of the UK, and now is the time to change that, writes Donna McLean.

The much-anticipated new Brexit deal on Northern Ireland was announced this week.

Rishi Sunak says the Windsor Framework, which was agreed on Monday, is about “what is best for the people of Northern Ireland”, and not for politicians.

The deal aims to fix post-Brexit problems in Northern Ireland, and will ensure that NI will have both open access to the EU and unhindered trade within the UK. Northern Ireland will be in a “unique position in the entire world, European continent, in having privileged access not just to the UK home market, which is enormous, fifth biggest in the world, but also the European Union’s single market. Nobody else has that.”

Sunak says the deal “will make a positive difference for all” in NI, with the Windsor Framework restoring “balance” to Northern Ireland’s politics, which is at the heart of the Good Friday peace agreement.

Already, we hear the rallying call to companies in Great Britain that want access to the EU single market: “Invest in Northern Ireland!” Urged on by senior Tories, including Andrea Leadsom, a leading Brexiteer, businesses are encouraged to give Northern Ireland a go, as it is a “unique opportunity for inward investment”.

Unlike any other part of the UK, Northern Ireland firms will continue to be part of the single market under the new Brexit deal struck by Sunak. “It’ll be a win-win for Northern Ireland and for GB businesses. Nobody else has that. No one. Only you guys: only here, and that is the prize,” the prime minister said.

Far be it from me to point out the irony of these Brexit cheerleaders encouraging the investment in the six counties, when all UK companies used to have access to the single market – before Brexit.

NI didn’t vote for Brexit, so we might view this as a success after the fact. But neither did Scotland. The SNP MP Angus MacNeil echoed many people’s feelings: “Unbelievable. Scotland and everyone else had this before daft stupid idiotic Brexit.”

Is there still a spanner in the works?

Brexit was always going to impact on the identity of NI’s communities. In order for the UK to leave the single market and the customs union, there had to be a border somewhere. If the decision had been to put that border on land, between the north and south of Ireland, it would have been a catastrophe, effectively tearing up the Good Friday Agreement.

There’s no doubt this new, unique position could be amazing, not least because it respects the Good Friday Agreement by avoiding any border on the island of Ireland. It also, crucially, protects Northern Ireland’s place in the union. This way, the hard-earned peace and progress of the Good Friday Agreement is maintained and reinforced.

Northern Ireland should now be able to gain some much-needed stability and the chance to attract investment and create new jobs. As much as this sounds fantastic, do we still have a spanner in the works?

Rishi Sunak and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen shake hands after announcing the post-Brexit Northern Ireland deal (Image: Dan Kitwood/AP/Shutterstock)

The DUP has resolved to take its time considering the new deal, and continues its boycott of the devolved government at Stormont, reinforcing that this will be the case until its concerns are resolved. Some of us are unsure if their concerns will ever be resolved. They don’t want a sea border, but have no other ideas as to how a post-Brexit landscape might work.

While the DUP thinks about it, with the help of their many legal advisors, most people in Northern Ireland are more concerned about the collapse of the health service, about fuel poverty, or just poverty in general. The lack of a working government doesn’t help.

A failure to plan effectively has left Northern Ireland as the “least attractive” area of the UK in which to work as a medical consultant. Dr David Farren, chair of the British Medical Association Northern Ireland consultants committee told BBC Good Morning Ulster: “Every part of the health service is struggling to meet the demand and they do not have enough people to deliver this. We don’t have a functional Assembly, we don’t have a budget.”

Northern Ireland remains one of the most deprived regions of the UK

Despite all the talk of investment, despite the heroic efforts of many brilliant frontline workers, local politicians and activists on the ground, NI remains one of the most deprived regions of the UK, with ongoing poor health outcomes. When this promise of investment is celebrated, will we also talk about the trauma that still hasn’t healed, 25 years on from the historic signing of the Good Friday Agreement?

The poverty rate varies by religion, with the highest rates being 22% for people with no religion, 20% for people recording an “other” religion, and 19% for Catholic people. The lowest rate is 12%, for Protestant people.

There is still very much a legacy of separation. This week, in the spring of 2023, we are hearing sinister threats of renewed violence from dissidents on both sides.

Let’s hope that the juicy carrot of investment being dangled over Northern Ireland now genuinely leads to a thriving culture of opportunity for the people – all of them.


Donna McLean is originally from Ayrshire and is a mum of twins, writer and activist

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