In two of Northern Ireland's port towns, the starkly different economic impacts of the 10 years since Brexit come to life. In Larne, garden centre owner John Shannon points to a £387 "export charge" he must now pay just to bring in roses from Great Britain. In Warrenpoint, food manufacturer Brian Reid sees a different reality: "Off the back of the Brexit vote, we picked up a lot of customers who wanted to source on the island of Ireland."
Northern Ireland's Brexit deal means it has a closer economic relationship with the European Union than other parts of the UK. In the decade since the referendum, the region's economy has outperformed the UK average on some key measures. Yet it would be misleading to attribute that entirely to the special arrangement. Part of the story is Northern Ireland undergoing a delayed recovery after a deeper and longer recession following the 2008 financial crisis and property crash.
“Brexit's decade: Larne gardener pays £387 export charge on roses, while Warrenpoint food firm gains EU customers.”
The tricky issue in the post-2016 negotiations was how to keep a free-flowing border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, with the former leaving the EU alongside the UK and the latter remaining inside. Political consensus held that a return to checkpoints was undesirable. The UK government agreed the most practical solution was for Northern Ireland to stay in the EU's single market for goods. That means goods from Northern Ireland face no new checks when entering the Republic or the wider EU. The UK also guaranteed that goods from Northern Ireland could enter Britain without new barriers, giving manufacturers unique "dual market access" — a privilege unavailable to businesses in England, Scotland, or Wales. Then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declared Northern Ireland "the world's most exciting economic zone".
But the deal also created a new trade border for goods coming into Northern Ireland from other parts of the UK, requiring customs paperwork and checks. The impacts remain divisive and contested. Brexit set the tone of Northern Irish politics for years, leading to the suspension of devolution between 2022 and 2024.
As John Shannon pays his £387 charge per rose shipment and Brian Reid seizes new customers, the question of whether the region has truly benefited from its unique position remains unresolved.