MP Benn warns peace process could be hurt by impasse
NORTHERN Ireland cannot afford to go back to the days of border posts, the chairman of the Commons Brexit Committee has insisted.
Hilary Benn warned that the “clock is ticking” for a resolution to the border issue and that a solution must be found to ensure the peace process is not placed in jeopardy.
“We simply can’t afford to go back to the past,” the Labour MP said.
“We have got a matter of days to find a way forward on this border question to enable us to move onto phase two of the talks. The clock is ticking.”
The Brexit Committee travelled to the village of Middletown on the border, one of 275 land crossings.
Mr Benn said: “You just stand here, you see the traffic, the goods moving backwards and forth, you talk to the people who have lived here, who have lived through the Troubles. This is progress, this busy road is progress. I really hope the peace process is not in jeopardy.”
This was the first time the Committee visited Northern Ireland.
The MPs were brought to the border by the chief executive of Co-operation Ireland, Peter Sheridan, a former PSNI Assistant Chief Constable.
Mr Sheridan told them: “None of our politicians want a hard border. None wants to see structures on the border.
“All of our politicians want to see free movement of people across the border.”