Northern Ireland excluded from UK-India trade deal, Government confirms

The UK Government has confirmed that Northern Ireland will not be fully included in the benefits of the newly agreed UK-India free trade agreement, due to ongoing post-Brexit arrangements that leave the region subject to EU trade laws.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, TUV Leader Jim Allister, MP for North Antrim, raised the issue directly with Douglas Alexander, Minister of State for the Department for Business and Trade.

Allister questioned the Government’s ability to secure trade deals that cover the entirety of the United Kingdom, pointing to the legal and regulatory divergence created by the Northern Ireland Protocol and its successor, the Windsor Framework.

“I put it to the Minister that the entirety of the United Kingdom will not benefit from this deal, as the UK does not control trade laws for Northern Ireland,” said Mr Allister.

“Owing to the Protocol, Northern Ireland remains subject to EU trade law. Consequently, imports from India into Northern Ireland will be subject not to the UK’s agreed tariff, but to whatever EU tariff is in force — thereby denying Northern Ireland’s consumers the full benefits of the deal.”

In response, Minister Douglas Alexander confirmed that Mr Allister’s interpretation of the situation was correct.

“The established position is exactly as the right hon. Member describes,” said Mr Alexander.

He acknowledged the distinct trading arrangements that apply to Northern Ireland under the Good Friday Agreement, Protocol, and Windsor Framework, stating that these measures were vital to preserving peace and political stability in the region.

Mr Allister, however, expressed deep concern about what he described as Northern Ireland’s “semi-detached position” within the UK.

“Regrettably, no other Northern Ireland MP raised this critical issue, which starkly illustrates our semi-detached position within the United Kingdom and how we alone are being denied the opportunities that Brexit presents to the rest of the nation,” he added.

During the Commons exchange, Allister presented a practical example of the legal implications for Northern Ireland:

“Under the UK-India trade deal any imports to Northern Ireland from India… will be subject not to any agreed UK tariff but to whatever prevailing EU tariff there is on those goods, and the EU does not have a trade deal with India.”

While the Government maintains that the new trade agreement does not compromise Northern Ireland’s political status or the peace process, critics argue it underscores the region’s exclusion from the economic advantages now available to Great Britain under new post-Brexit trade deals.

The confirmation is likely to intensify debate over the future of Northern Ireland’s trade arrangements, with unionist parties increasingly vocal about the implications of remaining aligned with EU rules. The revelation also raises broader questions about the scope and unity of UK trade policy in a post-Brexit landscape.