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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has praised his Withdrawal Agreement as a \u201cgreat deal\u201d for Northern Ireland because it keeps \u201caccess to the single market\u201d \u2013 despite wanting to pull the rest of the UK out.<\/p>\nBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson has praised his Withdrawal Agreement as a \u201cgreat deal\u201d for Northern Ireland because it keeps \u201caccess to the single market\u201d \u2013 despite wanting to pull the rest of the UK out.<\/p>\n
Speaking to Conservatives in Northern Ireland, Boris Johnson talked up his exit terms with the European Union for its ability to keep single market access and free movement for Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
Mr Johnson, in a video posted on Twitter by Manufacturing NI, said: \u201cNorthern Ireland has got a great deal. You keep free movement, you keep access to the single market but you also have, as it says in the deal, unfettered access to GB.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Liberal Democrats have criticized the PM following his comments for wanting to treat the six counties differently to the rest of Britain.<\/p>\n
His Brexit deal with the EU will see Britain leave the single market and customs union but with Northern Ireland following different rules to prevent a hard border.<\/p>\n
Tom Brake, the Lib Dems\u2019 Brexit spokesman, said: \u201cThe single market and freedom of movement are a great deal \u2013 even Boris Johnson recognises this.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo why isn\u2019t he keeping them for the whole of the UK as part of the many benefits of EU membership?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is clear that the best deal for the UK is the one we have now \u2013 in the EU,\u201d said the anti-Brexit politician.<\/p>\n
Mr Johnson also appeared to contradict evidence given by the UK’s Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay by telling supporters that goods between Northern Ireland and Great Britain would not face checks as a result of his Brexit agreement.<\/p>\n
Mr Barclay had told MPs that \u201cminimal targeted interventions\u201d would be required on some goods travelling between the two areas of the UK, due to Northern Ireland remaining aligned with Dublin and Brussels rules for the trade of goods.<\/p>\n
But the Conservative Party leader said his Government would \u201cnot enact such checks\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will not be tariffs or checks on goods coming from GB to Northern Ireland that are not going on to Ireland,\u201d he said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will not be checks \u2013 and I speak as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and a passionate Unionist.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will not be checks on goods going from Northern Ireland to Great Britain because we are the Government of the United Kingdom and we will not institute or implement or enact such checks.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the idea that Tayto crisps from Tandragee are going to be vetted by some process, it is just nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also said that Brussels was forthcoming with a Brexit deal because European leaders feared the repercussions of Britain making the \u201cirrational decision\u201d to leave without a deal.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though they could see what the Benn Act was doing to us and how difficult it was, they were not quite sure whether the UK Government was going to be sufficiently irrational, as they saw it, as to come out with (no-deal),\u201d he added.<\/p>\n