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In two of Northern Ireland’s port towns, the starkly different economic impacts of the 10 years since Brexit come to life.<\/b><\/p>\n
In Larne, garden centre owner John Shannon points to a \u00a3387 “export charge” he must now pay just to bring in roses from Great Britain (GB).<\/p>\n
In Warrenpoint, food manufacturer Brian Reid sees a different reality. <\/p>\n
“Off the back of the Brexit vote, we picked up a lot of customers who wanted to source on the island of Ireland,” he said.<\/p>\n
In the 10 years since the referendum result was confirmed that saw the UK leave the EU, Northern Ireland’s economy has outperformed the UK average on some key measures.<\/p>\n
Northern Ireland has a Brexit deal which means it has a closer economic relationship with the European Union (EU) than other parts of the UK.<\/p>\n
It is tempting to conclude the better performance is all due to that special deal.<\/p>\n
The reality is more complicated than that.<\/p>\n
Part of the story is Northern Ireland undergoing a delayed recovery having suffered a deeper and longer recession following the 2008 financial crisis and property crash.<\/p>\n
On a wider note, Brexit set the tone of politics in Northern Ireland for years, leading to the suspension of devolution between 2022 and 2024. Its impacts remain divisive and contested.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n