A no-deal Brexit would leave businesses in Northern Ireland “on the brink of chaos”, according to the director of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) in Northern Ireland.
Last week, a draft EU-UK deal was revealed, setting out what a future relationship could look like. Chief Economist, Angela McGowan told BBC News NI the CBI was “broadly supportive” of the deal.
Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley urged the business community to continue speaking out for the deal.
Speaking to CBI members in Belfast, she said the deal assured the economic and constitutional integrity of the UK and said she was “disappointed” in media coverage of the draft agreement.
McGowan said that while the CBI supported the agreement, there were some aspects it hoped “will be ironed out”.
Speaking on the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme, McGowan said the backstop may never have to be used.
“We’re hoping we don’t even need that backstop agreement because what we hope to see this week is the high level principles as to how we will trade in the future,” she said.
“This opens the path for the UK government to start moving on to that frictionless trade deal that we hope to get with the EU and that the backstop isn’t even needed.”
Speaking on the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme, McGowan said the backstop may never have to be used.
“We’re hoping we don’t even need that backstop agreement because what we hope to see this week is the high level principles as to how we will trade in the future,” she said.
“This opens the path for the UK government to start moving on to that frictionless trade deal that we hope to get with the EU and that the backstop isn’t even needed.”
McGowan said a no-deal Brexit was “not an option” for businesses or the health service.
Meanwhile, the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service reiterated his concerns about the effect of a no-deal Brexit on the region’s economy.
David Sterling said the civil service “would share the concerns of many across the community in business and elsewhere, that a chaotic or disorderly no deal would be very bad for us locally”.In her speech to the CBI, Karen Bradley hit out at “disappointing” media coverage over the fall-out from the draft agreement.
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