Trade data 'just serves to show how important GB is to NI' says DUP as pro-and-anti-Protocol parties try to lay claim to figures

The data has been seized upon by proponents of the Northern Ireland Protocol, who argue that what it shows it has a net positive impact on business – not the reverse as unionists often claim.

This is because the figures show that, since the Protocol formally began operation on January 1, 2021, sales to Great Britain increased, along with sales and exports generally across the board.

But another aspect of the figures – and one that the DUP has been keen to focus on – is that they highlight the relatively massive level of trade with buyers in Great Britain, as compared with those in the Irish republic.

~ In 2021, the figures show sales to GB were worth £12.8bn.

~ By contrast, sales to the republic were worth £5.2bn.

~ The GB sales figures were up on both 2020 (£11.3bn) and 2019 (£10.8bn).

~ Irish sales figures were up sharply on 2020 (£4.2bn), and above 2019 (£4.5bn).

Other stand-out figures from the Nisra report are that:

~ In 2021, total sales by companies in NI were £77.1bn.

~ In 2020, NI’s total sales stood at £67.8bn.

~ And in 2019 (pre-pandemic) they stood at £71.3bn.

~ Sales within NI in 2021 amounted to £52.1bn, or 67.6% of all sales.

The data was published today by NISRA (the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency).

Sir Jeffrey said: “The latest figures continue to demonstrate the vital importance of trade with the rest of the United Kingdom to the Northern Ireland economy.

"Those who will attempt to use the figures to tell us the Protocol is working conveniently ignore the fact that not only has the Protocol not been fully implemented yet, but that current trade is propped up to the sum of around half-a-million pounds per day through the Trader Support Service.

“Were these vital protections removed then we know businesses here have said it would have a devastating impact, including the halting of vital supply chains within 48 hours.

“The continued importance of trade within the UK highlights how barriers to trade inside the United Kingdom are not just constitutionally, but economically damaging.”

Sinn Fein and the SDLP said the figures in fact disprove claims that the Protocol is constricting the Province’s economy.

SDLP Brexit spokesman Matthew O’Toole MLA said: “This data should finally put to bed the idea that Protocol is ruining the Northern Ireland economy.

"For nearly two years, DUP politicians and British ministers have exaggerated and distorted the effect of the protocol on trade flows and business across the Irish Sea.”

And Sinn Fein MLA Caoimhe Archibald said: “Today’s data debunks false claims around the Protocol. This is clear evidence of its positive impact on our economy.

“The Protocol is mitigating the negative impact of Brexit, creating jobs, boosting our economy and helping businesses to grow.”

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