Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade has expressed disappointment at being excluded from the Prime Minister’s visit to Northern Ireland.
Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade which represents nearly 200 businesses in this border area located just 4 miles from the future border with the EU, has been supportive of the Withdrawal Agreement and the Backstop. The Chamber was surprised and disappointed not to have been invited to meet the PM today as a strong representative voice of border businesses.
Speaking on behalf of the Chamber, CEO of Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade, Colm Shannon said:
“At our board meeting today, the board was extremely disappointed that the Chamber which represents many border businesses, large and small, had not been invited to meet the PM on her visit to Northern Ireland. It will be businesses in the border that will be impacted most and it is unacceptable that the PM didn’t take the opportunity to listened to the concerns of border businesses.
When the PM needed the support of businesses in Northern Ireland, the Chamber met with her in Downing Street to lend our support.
As a Chamber, we have a strong voice and we will continue to argue strongly for our members to prevent a hard border. An open border is essential for our local businesses and there is a real fear we are heading for a no deal.
We expect the PM to honour her commitment and deliver a deal which avoids a hard border.”