Drop in business at Welsh ports such as Holyhead 'the reality of Brexit', says Micheál Martin

The Irish Prime Minister has said that a drop in business at Welsh ports is "the reality of Brexit."

Micheál Martin's comments come as Welsh ports continue to experience the fallout from the UK's withdrawal from the European Union.

Freight using the “land bridge” route to the EU via ports such as Holyhead has fallen by a fifth since the start of 2021.

Speaking at a summit meeting of the British Irish Council in Cardiff, Mr Martin said: "Exporters and operators will adjust to fundamental changes like Brexit and unfortunately it has meant a significant reduction in traffic through Welsh ports.

"That is the reality of Brexit, unfortunately, for ports that historically were hives of activity in terms of toing and froing and from Ireland to Wales.

What is the British Irish Council?

The British-Irish Council was established as part of the British–Irish Agreement, part of the Good Friday Agreement reached in 1998.

The summit brings together leaders from the UK and Irish governments, as well as the leaders of the devolved administrations. 

Its membership is made up of representatives from the Irish Government, UK Government, Scottish Government, Northern Ireland Executive, Welsh Government, Isle of Man Government, the Government of Jersey and the Government of Guernsey.

Today’s event was being hosted by Mark Drakeford and came against a backdrop of tension over the way trade has been disrupted between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

It has been reported that the UK Government is planning to suspend parts of the Brexit deal that affect Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland protocol is designed to prevent border checks on goods between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, a member of the European Union.

It effectively keeps Northern Ireland in the EU’s single market, although when Boris Johnson agreed to it in 2019 he said it would not lead to checks between Northern Ireland and the rest of UK.

However, it is fiercely opposed by Unionist politicians in Northern Ireland and is said to be disrupting trade between the British mainland and Northern Ireland, something that’s particularly noticeable in Welsh ports such as Holyhead.

The UK Government’s Brexit minister Lord Frost has set a deadline of December to resolve the dispute, demanding that the EU stops carrying out so many checks.

Lord Frost said that the “only way forward” would be for the UK to trigger Article 16 of the Protocol, if it can’t be settled by then. 

What is Article 16?

Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol allows either the UK or the EU to suspend any part of the deal.

Triggering it provides an opportunity to unilaterally scrap the way the Protocol is working and apply emergency “safeguard” measures.

Such action, however, could lead to a trade war. 

The EU has warned that such a move could be "serious for Northern Ireland as it would lead to instability and unpredictability".

The UK's latest position

Speaking after today’s meeting, UK Government minister Michael Gove sounded a conciliatory note, saying he hoped Article 16 would not be triggered. 

However, when asked by ITV Wales political editor Adrian Masters whether he would commit to that, he said: “There is a determination on the part of the British government, the European Commission, and the Irish government and others to make progress.

"There's a shared recognition that we do need to alter the operation of the protocol on the ground. 

“I hope that we won't need to trigger Article 16 for reasons that will be well understood, but we reserve the right to do so if we believe that changes which are required on the ground in Northern Ireland have not been made.”

What next for Wales?

With trade between Northern Ireland and Britain being disrupted, Welsh ports are experiencing a significant impact. 

Freight using the “land bridge” route to the EU via ports such as Holyhead has fallen by a fifth since the start of 2021.

Official figures show there are now 44 routes from Ireland to the EU mainland, compared to 12 previously.

When asked what his government is doing to alleviate the problem, Mark Drakeford told ITV Wales: “What we try and do is assist businesses to deal with the circumstances they face at the moment. 

“We are hopeful that if the negotiations succeed, they will simplify some of the complexities that Welsh businesses currently face so which have led to a very significant reduction in trade through ports in Holyhead and in Pembrokeshire, as well. 

“If things can be simplified by respecting the need to maintain the integrity of the single market on the one hand and our responsibilities to Northern Ireland on the other, Welsh businesses will benefit from that.”

Micheál Martin said he wants to use this week’s visit to Wales to deal with immediate problems, while also developing the historic relationship between the two countries.

“We want to enhance that economic relationship," he told ITV Wales.

“We will work with the Welsh Government to see what we can do to make it as easy as we possibly can to facilitate the historic trading links between our two countries but also in the context of Brexit to see what more can be done to enhance engagement and to make sure that that relationship isn't weakened by the operation of Brexit into the future.”