In a meeting organised by Newry Chamber of Commerce on 19th September, the Secretary of State underlined his desire to listen intently to the issues and concerns of Newry businesses and reiterated his commitment to ensureNorthern Ireland’s voice is heard and interests protected in the Brexit negotiations.
James Brokenshire said: I have taken a careful deliberate approach to meet with key business groups to address specific circumstances and gain a sense of complexity around specific factors such as the issue of the hard border and The Single Electricity Market.
I also want to hear people’s ideas about the way forward and to advocate strongly thatNorthern Irelandremains open for business. I am determined to ensure the UK Government works as closely as possible with key contact points acrossNorthern Irelandand indeed theRepublicofIrelandas we seek to make a success of the decision by the people of theUnited Kingdomto leave the EU. Speaking on the Customs Union, Mr Brokenshire commented that theUKmust seek to achieve the strongest position on access to EU markets and a hard border was not the solution.
President of Newry Chamber of Commerce, Michael McKeown said: ‘We are pleased that The Secretary of State responded to our invitation to visit Newry and to hear on the ground concerns from our business leaders. While we as a Chamber were strong advocates of the Remain campaign, we recognise thatNorthern Ireland’s new economic challenges are best addressed by a close partnership between all political leaders and the business community. Progress and communication go hand in hand.’
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