I’ve no worry about Brexit, says boss of property firm
AS Brexit talks balanced on a knife edge this week and political leaders from all corners of the British Isles vied for airtime, only Northern Ireland’s Secretary of State was out of sight.
James Brokenshire’s last public engagement in Northern Ireland was on November 30 when he met Belfast traders ahead of Small Business Saturday; the following day he attended a meeting with his own constituents in London.
Despite a turbulent week — which saw the Prime Minister Theresa May forced to delay agreement with the EU following DUP objections and strained relations with the Irish Government — Mr Brokenshire had not made any official public appearances or made any statements on the matter until yesterday.
A representative for Mr Brokenshire insisted the Secretary of State had been at work.
In a statement, Mr Brokenshire added yesterday that he was “delighted” the European Commission had said ‘sufficient progress’ had been made in the Brexit talks.
“We will protect Northern Ireland’s integral place in the internal market of the UK with full, unfettered access for NI’s businesses,” he said.
“We will avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland and protect the Belfast Agreement. We remain deter- mined to negotiate a Brexit that works for everyone, in all parts of the United Kingdom.”
Early yesterday morning, a last-minute ‘breakthrough’ deal was announced, allowing the Brexit negotiations to progress to the second phase of trade talks.
Theresa May said there would be no “hard border” with Ireland and that the rights of EU citizens in the UK and vice-versa would be protected. British sources also confirmed the UK’s ‘divorce bill’ from the EU will be an estimated £35-39bn.
Although hidden from view this week, Mr Brokenshire has had to navigate a series of crises throughout 2017.
When the RHI scandal brought the Stormont Assembly crashing down in February, he set multiple deadlines for the DUP and Sinn Fein to reach agreement and restore the Executive.
All of them appeared to pass without consequence, adding pressure on the NI Secretary to impose direct rule in Northern Ireland.
In November, Mr Brokenshire was forced to allocate funding to stop public services running out of money. A further £660m was added in the Chancellor’s budget.
Further headaches throughout the year included demands for him to stop MLA pay (for which he commissioned an independent review in November), claims by Irish rights activists he refused to meet them over an Irish Language Act, as well as pressure to publish plans to deal with the legacy of the Troubles in the absence of a Stormont deal. BREXIT is nothing to worry about and there will be a deal between the UK and the EU because they “need each other”, the chairman of the Westfield Corporation has said.
Sir Frank Lowy made the comments as European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said he was recommending the leaders of the remaining 27 EU states give the green light to the start of trade talks next week.
The billionaire property developer collected his knighthood from the Queen for his services to business and philanthropy in what he said was a “wonderful day” at Windsor Castle.
After the investiture ceremony, when asked whether he was worried about Brexit, he said: “Not from day one was I concerned, because I felt that whatever form it will be, there will be a deal between the EU and the UK because they need each other — it just has to change.”