The Northern Ireland Assembly has passed a motion calling on the UK government to request an extension to the Brexit transition period in the wake of the “extreme challenges” posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
It comes as Brussels and London engage in a fourth round of talks on a post-Brexit trade deal as the formal deadline for extending the 11-month transition period approaches at the end of this month.
Boris Johnson has repeatedly rejected calls for the government to extend the negotiations, risking the possibility of the UK crashing out of the single market at the end of 2020 if no trade deal with the bloc is reached.
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The non-binding motion at Stormont calls on the UK government “to request, and the European Union to agree, an extension of the current Brexit transition period beyond 31 December 2020 in order that businesses have adequate time to prepare for the implementation of new arrangements”.
It adds: “This Assembly notes its unique role as a named party to the UK-EU withdrawal agreement and the unique impact of Brexit on Northern Ireland; further notes the ongoing Covid-19 crisis and the extreme challenges facing businesses and workers”.
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1/66 A message projected onto the White Cliffs of Dover
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2/66 Getty
3/66 Big Ben, shows the hands at eleven o’clock at night
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4/66 Nigel Farage speaks to pro-Brexit supporters
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5/66 Pro-Brexit demonstrators celebrate on Parliament Square
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6/66 The Union flag is taken down outside the European Parliament in Brussels
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7/66 Pro-EU campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh
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8/66 A pro-Brexit supporter jumps on an EU flag in Parliament Square
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9/66 EU Council staff removed the Union Jack-British flag from the European Council in Brussels, Belgium
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10/66 A pro-Brexit supporter pours beer onto an EU flag
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11/66 Pedestrians pass in front of the Ministry of Defence Building on Whitehall, illuminated by red, white and blue lights in central London
AFP via Getty Images
12/66 A Brexit supporter shouts during a rally in London
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13/66 Pro-EU campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh
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14/66 Pro-EU campaigners take part in a ‘Missing EU Already’ rally outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh
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15/66 A large pro-EU banner is projected onto Ramsgate cliff in Kent
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16/66 Pro-EU supporters light candles in Smith Square in Westminster
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17/66 A man waves Union flags from a small car as he drives past Brexit supporters gathering in Parliament Square
AFP via Getty Images
18/66 The five-year old Elisa Saemann, left, and her seven-year old sister Katie hold a placard during a rally by anti-Brexit protesters outside the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh
AP
19/66 Pro Europe supporters gather on Brexit day near the British embassy in Berlin, Germany
EPA
20/66 Anti-Brexit protester hugs a man while holding a placard
REUTERS
21/66 A decorated, old fashioned fire pump in Parliament Square
PA
22/66 Pro Brexit Elvis impersonator performs at Parliament Square
Getty Images
23/66 An anti-Brexiteers stands with his dog in Parliament Square
AFP via Getty Images
24/66 Paddy from Bournemouth wears Union colours as he sits next to an EU flag decorated bag in Parliament Square
AFP via Getty Images
25/66 A pro-EU activist plays a guitar decorated with the EU flag during a protest organised by civil rights group New Europeans outside Europe House, central London
AFP via Getty Images
26/66 People celebrate Britain leaving the EU
REUTERS
27/66 A Pro Brexit supporter has a Union Jack painted onto his face at Parliament Square
Getty Images
28/66 Men hold placards celebrating Britain leaving the EU
REUTERS
29/66 Pro Brexit supporters dance in the street draped with Union Jack flags at Parliament Square
Getty Images
30/66 An anti-Brexit demonstrator spreads his wings during a gathering near Downing Street
AP
31/66 Pro EU supporters display a banner ‘ Here to Stay, Here to Fight, Migrants In, Tories Out’ from Westminster bridge
EPA
32/66 Pro-Brexit supporters burn European Union flags at Parliament Square
Getty
33/66 A man poses for a picture on Parliament Square in a ‘Brexit Day’ t-shirt
Reuters
34/66 People celebrate Britain leaving the EU
Reuters
35/66 AFP via Getty
36/66 A man wears a pro-Brexit t-shirt
Reuters
37/66 Anti-Brexit demonstrators visit Europe House to give flowers to the staff on Brexit day
Reuters
38/66 Pro Brexit supporter wears a novelty Union Jack top hat outside the Houses of Parliament
Getty Images
39/66 Customers Scott Jones and Laura Jones at the Sawmill Bar in South Elmsall, Yorkshire, where a Brexit party is being held throughout the day
PA
40/66 AP
41/66 Getty
42/66 Getty Images
43/66 Pro-EU activists protest
Getty Images
44/66 A pro-Brexit demonstrator burns a European Union flag
AP
45/66 Pro Brexit supporters
Getty Images
46/66 Pro Brexit supporters
Getty Images
47/66 A Brexit supports holds a sign in Parliament Square
AP
48/66 A man carries an EU themed wreath
Reuters
49/66 Ann Widdecombe reacts with other members of the Brexit party as they leave en masse from the European Parliament
PA
50/66 Anti-Brexit demonstrators in Parliament Square
PA
51/66 Pro EU supporters let off flares from Westminster Bridge
Getty
52/66 British MEPs Jonathan Bullock, holding the Union Jack flag and Jake Pugh leave the European Parliament, in Brussels on the Brexit day
AFP via Getty
53/66 Newspapers and other souvenirs at a store, near Parliament Square
Reuters
54/66 Brexit supporters hold signs in Parliament Square
AP
55/66 Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square
AFP via Getty
56/66 French newspapers
PA
57/66 Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald with a Border Communities Against Brexit poster before its unveiling in Carrickcarnon on the Irish border
PA
58/66 National growers organisation British Apples & Pears has renamed a British apple to EOS, the Greek goddess of dawn, to commemorate Brexit day
AP
59/66 Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square
AFP via Getty
60/66 Britain’s departure from the European Union was set in law on January 29, amid emotional scenes, as the bloc’s parliament voted to ratify the divorce papers. After half a century of membership and three years of tense withdrawal talks, the UK will leave the EU at midnight Brussels time (23.00 GMT) on January 31
Reuters
61/66 A man poses with paintings on Parliament Square
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62/66 People sporting Union Flags gather in Parliament Square
Getty
63/66 A man walks with a St. George’s flag at Westminster bridge on Brexit day
Reuters
64/66 A British bulldog toy and other souvenirs at a souvenir store
Reuters
65/66 British pro-brexit Members of the European Parliament leave the EU Parliament for the last time
Reuters
66/66 Jonathan Bullock waves the Union Jack as he leaves the European Parliament
EPA
1/66 A message projected onto the White Cliffs of Dover
Sky News/AFP via Getty
2/66 Getty
3/66 Big Ben, shows the hands at eleven o’clock at night
AFP via Getty Images
4/66 Nigel Farage speaks to pro-Brexit supporters
PA
5/66 Pro-Brexit demonstrators celebrate on Parliament Square
REUTERS
6/66 The Union flag is taken down outside the European Parliament in Brussels
PA
7/66 Pro-EU campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh
PA
8/66 A pro-Brexit supporter jumps on an EU flag in Parliament Square
PA
9/66 EU Council staff removed the Union Jack-British flag from the European Council in Brussels, Belgium
EPA
10/66 A pro-Brexit supporter pours beer onto an EU flag
PA
11/66 Pedestrians pass in front of the Ministry of Defence Building on Whitehall, illuminated by red, white and blue lights in central London
AFP via Getty Images
12/66 A Brexit supporter shouts during a rally in London
AP
13/66 Pro-EU campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh
PA
14/66 Pro-EU campaigners take part in a ‘Missing EU Already’ rally outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh
PA
15/66 A large pro-EU banner is projected onto Ramsgate cliff in Kent
PA
16/66 Pro-EU supporters light candles in Smith Square in Westminster
PA
17/66 A man waves Union flags from a small car as he drives past Brexit supporters gathering in Parliament Square
AFP via Getty Images
18/66 The five-year old Elisa Saemann, left, and her seven-year old sister Katie hold a placard during a rally by anti-Brexit protesters outside the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh
AP
19/66 Pro Europe supporters gather on Brexit day near the British embassy in Berlin, Germany
EPA
20/66 Anti-Brexit protester hugs a man while holding a placard
REUTERS
21/66 A decorated, old fashioned fire pump in Parliament Square
PA
22/66 Pro Brexit Elvis impersonator performs at Parliament Square
Getty Images
23/66 An anti-Brexiteers stands with his dog in Parliament Square
AFP via Getty Images
24/66 Paddy from Bournemouth wears Union colours as he sits next to an EU flag decorated bag in Parliament Square
AFP via Getty Images
25/66 A pro-EU activist plays a guitar decorated with the EU flag during a protest organised by civil rights group New Europeans outside Europe House, central London
AFP via Getty Images
26/66 People celebrate Britain leaving the EU
REUTERS
27/66 A Pro Brexit supporter has a Union Jack painted onto his face at Parliament Square
Getty Images
28/66 Men hold placards celebrating Britain leaving the EU
REUTERS
29/66 Pro Brexit supporters dance in the street draped with Union Jack flags at Parliament Square
Getty Images
30/66 An anti-Brexit demonstrator spreads his wings during a gathering near Downing Street
AP
31/66 Pro EU supporters display a banner ‘ Here to Stay, Here to Fight, Migrants In, Tories Out’ from Westminster bridge
EPA
32/66 Pro-Brexit supporters burn European Union flags at Parliament Square
Getty
33/66 A man poses for a picture on Parliament Square in a ‘Brexit Day’ t-shirt
Reuters
34/66 People celebrate Britain leaving the EU
Reuters
35/66 AFP via Getty
36/66 A man wears a pro-Brexit t-shirt
Reuters
37/66 Anti-Brexit demonstrators visit Europe House to give flowers to the staff on Brexit day
Reuters
38/66 Pro Brexit supporter wears a novelty Union Jack top hat outside the Houses of Parliament
Getty Images
39/66 Customers Scott Jones and Laura Jones at the Sawmill Bar in South Elmsall, Yorkshire, where a Brexit party is being held throughout the day
PA
40/66 AP
41/66 Getty
42/66 Getty Images
43/66 Pro-EU activists protest
Getty Images
44/66 A pro-Brexit demonstrator burns a European Union flag
AP
45/66 Pro Brexit supporters
Getty Images
46/66 Pro Brexit supporters
Getty Images
47/66 A Brexit supports holds a sign in Parliament Square
AP
48/66 A man carries an EU themed wreath
Reuters
49/66 Ann Widdecombe reacts with other members of the Brexit party as they leave en masse from the European Parliament
PA
50/66 Anti-Brexit demonstrators in Parliament Square
PA
51/66 Pro EU supporters let off flares from Westminster Bridge
Getty
52/66 British MEPs Jonathan Bullock, holding the Union Jack flag and Jake Pugh leave the European Parliament, in Brussels on the Brexit day
AFP via Getty
53/66 Newspapers and other souvenirs at a store, near Parliament Square
Reuters
54/66 Brexit supporters hold signs in Parliament Square
AP
55/66 Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square
AFP via Getty
56/66 French newspapers
PA
57/66 Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald with a Border Communities Against Brexit poster before its unveiling in Carrickcarnon on the Irish border
PA
58/66 National growers organisation British Apples & Pears has renamed a British apple to EOS, the Greek goddess of dawn, to commemorate Brexit day
AP
59/66 Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square
AFP via Getty
60/66 Britain’s departure from the European Union was set in law on January 29, amid emotional scenes, as the bloc’s parliament voted to ratify the divorce papers. After half a century of membership and three years of tense withdrawal talks, the UK will leave the EU at midnight Brussels time (23.00 GMT) on January 31
Reuters
61/66 A man poses with paintings on Parliament Square
Reuters
62/66 People sporting Union Flags gather in Parliament Square
Getty
63/66 A man walks with a St. George’s flag at Westminster bridge on Brexit day
Reuters
64/66 A British bulldog toy and other souvenirs at a souvenir store
Reuters
65/66 British pro-brexit Members of the European Parliament leave the EU Parliament for the last time
Reuters
66/66 Jonathan Bullock waves the Union Jack as he leaves the European Parliament
EPA
After it was passed by 50-38 votes on Tuesday evening, the SDLP’s Matthew O’Toole, who proposed the motion, said: “That’s it. The NI Assembly has passed a motion calling for a transition extension until we get through the Covid crisis. For the past 3 years the UK government said it wanted to listen to NI’s representatives. We’ve spoken – over to them.”
During the debate, the former No 10 adviser also urged members to “consider whether their constituents deserve the consequences of a crash out of the transition at the end of this year in the middle of the biggest global health crisis that any of us have lived through”.
He said: “Some will say, ‘What is the point of this motion? Boris Johnston and his gang will do whatever they want. Stormont is irrelevant’. Except that last part is not true. At the insistence of Boris Johnston’s government, the Northern Ireland Assembly is a named party to the withdrawal agreement. That is unique. The Scottish Parliament is not mentioned; the Welsh Assembly is not mentioned; Dáil Éireann is not mentioned; the Bundestag is not mentioned; but we are.”
Responding to vote, the Liberal Democrat’s Brexit and foreign affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said: “The Conservatives’ proposed Brexit will have a profound impact on the people and businesses of Northern Ireland.”
He added: “The NI Assembly’s vote is a clear indication that Boris Johnson must rethink and do the right thing for those across the UK. Not enough progress has been made on negotiations and we are now dangerously close to the extension deadline.”
Ahead of the motion being debated at Stormont, however, the DUP’s Westminster MP Sammy Wilson, described the motion as “irrelevant”, adding: “This is a decision to be made in London. The prime minister has made it quite clear that the 31 December is still the deadline”.
Source: UK Politics - www.independent.co.uk