The UK Prime Minister Theresa May is to visit Northern Ireland on Brexit issues.
SDLP Councillor Mark Murnin has expressed anger that Theresa May will not be visiting Newry on her two-day visit to the border.
The Councillor for Slieve Croob DEA said: “The decision by Theresa May not to visit Newry during a trip to meet border communities is appalling.
“As the current Chairman of Newry, Mourne and Down district Council, I am acutely aware of the concerns of the business community who are desperately seeking reassurance that London is working in the best interests of those who will be hurt the most by Brexit.
“The A1 corridor that cuts through Newry to the South is one of the largest transport routes in the North. Newry also has the greatest amount of trade across the border as well as the second largest port in the district.
“My colleagues and I are angry and extremely disheartened that PM Theresa May would not take the time to hear the very real concerns of the people of Newry on one of her very rare visits to the North, especially one that has the sole purpose of Brexit and the border.”
PRIME MINISTER TO VISIT NORTHERN IRELAND
On her visit to Northern Ireland, the Prime Minister will set out her commitment to the Union and to a Brexit that works for the whole United Kingdom. She will visit a border area to meet businesses and hear their views on the UK’s exit from the EU. The PM will also meet young people in Belfast and speak to them about their vision for Northern Ireland’s future.
The Prime Minister will reaffirm her commitment to a Brexit that avoids a hard border and protects the Belfast Agreement, in a visit to Northern Ireland this week (Thursday 19 – Friday 20 July).
In the visit to a border area on Thursday with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Prime Minister will meet with businesses to listen to their views on what working, living and trading across the border means to them.
The PM will deliver a speech on Friday in Belfast, which will emphasise her personal commitment to the strength of the UK’s four nations and the solutions set out in the White Paper that address Northern Ireland’s unique circumstances.
On restoring devolved Government to Northern Ireland, the PM is expected to meet with political parties on working together towards this goal for the benefit of all communities.
She will also speak to young people to hear their views on Northern Ireland’s future, for them and generations to come.
Prime Minister Theresa May said: “I look forward to hearing views from businesses on the border in Northern Ireland on our departure from the European Union.
“I fully recognise how their livelihoods, families and friends rely on the ability to move freely across the border to trade, live and work on a daily basis.
“That’s why we have ruled out any kind of hard border. Daily journeys will continue to be seamless and there will be no checks or infrastructure at the border to get in the way of this.
“I’ve also been clear we will not accept the imposition of any border down the Irish Sea and we will preserve the integrity of the UK’s internal market and Northern Ireland’s place within it.
“From the start of the negotiations, the UK Government has put Northern Ireland’s unique circumstances at the heart of our negotiations. And nothing will undermine our commitment to protecting the Belfast Agreement.
“I also look forward to meeting political parties on working together to restore stable and effective devolved Government for the benefit of everyone in Northern Ireland.”
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