Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald TD, speaking after a meeting of the party’s Ard Chomhairle this morning has said that Brexiteers and the DUP are dealing with the reality that Brexit is bad.

She said that Brexit throws up new trading realities which are hugely challenging, and instead of sabre rattling we need to work together to make the protocol work smoothly and to deal with teething problems.

Teachta McDonald said:

“We had a detailed discussion at the Ard Chomhairle this morning in relation to Brexit, the ill-judged attempt to trigger Article 16 and the response of political unionism.

“We are now six weeks into the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement and dealing with the challenges thrown up by new trading arrangements and the reality that Brexit is bad for Ireland and will have long term consequences. Brexiteers and the DUP need to deal with that reality and the sabre rattling of recent weeks needs to stop.

“The fact is that the Irish Protocol is a cornerstone of the overall Withdrawal Agreement and is now part of EU/British government policy. It is not going to be unpicked or removed. In fact, there are legal responsibilities on the Executive and the two governments to make it work smoothly. Teething problems can and should be resolved bilaterally through the Joint Committee and through the re-orientating of the economy and supply chains.

“The political institutions and entire Good Friday Agreement framework require stability and must deliver in all its dimensions. The Good Friday Agreement expressly recognises that the North/South Ministerial Council and Northern Assembly are mutually inter-dependent and that one cannot successfully function without the other.”