Sunak draws ire after hailing Northern Ireland’s access to UK and EU markets

theguardian.com:

Rishi Sunak has eulogised Northern Ireland’s “unique” and privileged position in having easy trade access to both the UK and EU markets – prompting critics to note that this was the case for the entire country before Brexit.

In comments that could potentially antagonise hardline Conservative Brexiters – who suspect Sunak could secretly welcome a shuffle towards closer EU single market access – the prime minister used an event in Northern Ireland to talk up what he called “the prize that is on offer” with his post-Brexit protocol.

Speaking at a Coca-Cola factory in Lisburn, he said: “If we get this right, if we get this framework implemented, we get the executive back up and running, Northern Ireland is in the unbelievably special position, the unique position in the entire world in having privileged access not just to the UK home market, which is the fifth biggest in the world, but also the European Union single market.

“Nobody else has that. No one – only you guys only here. And that is the prize. I can tell you, when I go around the world and talk to businesses, they say: ‘That’s interesting.’ Nowhere else does that exist. It’s like the world’s most exciting economic zone.”

In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday, Sunak made a similar point, saying Northern Ireland now had “this very special position where it has access to the UK market, has access to the EU market, which makes it an incredibly attractive place to invest for businesses”.

Stella Creasy, the Labour MP who chairs the Labour Movement for Europe, said while Sunak was correct about Northern Ireland, this had previously been the case for the entire UK.

“The prime minister is boasting about the benefits of the single market and customs union