House of Commons debate on Donald Trump's new tariff regime, April 2025

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House of Commons debate on Northern Ireland's place in the UK and Donald Trump's new tariff regime, 08-04-25

Transcript

00:00The Secretary of State has said that the EU will take action in relation to tariffs in what is its best interests.

00:11But businesses in Northern Ireland expect this government to take action in what is the best interests of the United Kingdom,

00:18including Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom.

00:22He talks about how this can be all resolved by the reimbursement scheme.

00:27The fact of the matter is that the reimbursement scheme has failed.

00:32There are masses of information to be produced by businesses.

00:36There are delays in payments.

00:38Some businesses are waiting for hundreds of thousands of pounds of money to be reimbursed in terms of taxes.

00:45So that is not the answer.

00:47The answer surely is that the EU or the UK collects the taxes which we impose on American goods

00:53and leaves it up to the EU to collect their taxes if they wish to impose them.

00:58Well, I would say to the right hon. Gentleman in response to that,

01:03that what he has just proposed ignores the reality that faces Northern Ireland

01:08as a result of the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union

01:12and the fact there was a problem that had to be solved.

01:14As Secretary of State for Northern Ireland,

01:20is the Secretary of State not embarrassed that he and his government have no control

01:26over the tariffs in respect of goods imported into Northern Ireland?

01:31And isn't the obvious and inevitable answer to repatriate to the United Kingdom control over trade laws?

01:39And what happens if Northern Ireland is used as a conduit by the Republic of Ireland

01:44or the EU to export goods to the US?

01:49Who checks those goods and where?

01:51Well, I think I have said to the hon. Gentleman before

01:57I would not have started from here myself

02:00in relation to the cause that led to eventually the negotiation of the Windsor Framework,

02:07which was a huge improvement on the Northern Ireland protocol.

02:12But we don't control the decisions that the United States Administration has taken.

02:19What we have to do is to make sure that we stand with businesses,

02:22including in Northern Ireland, to provide them with support.

02:25And a mechanism that allows them to reclaim the tariff

02:28is the most practical step that we can take.

02:30It's already in place because of the Windsor Framework.

02:33Jim Shand.

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