Belfast hosts NI Chamber business event alongside prominent MP
Our Belfast office was honoured to host a roundtable discussion this week on behalf of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Best For Britain.
Attendees for the event included Claire Hanna MP, leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party and MP for South Belfast, as well as local businesses such as Renewable NI, Survitec Group, Ulster Weavers and Montgomery Transport.
The discussion centred around EU-UK trade relations and how a closer working relationship could affect trades and services, particularly in the wake of the recent implementation of US tariffs on foreign goods.
We were pleased to hear from the Best for Britain team as to what closer trade ties could mean for the economy and for them to hear directly from businesses about how the issues relating to the Windsor Framework and the recent changes in parcels and tariffs are affecting Northern Irish businesses.
Whilst the finer details of the chats are subject to Chatham House rules, we heard how Claire Hanna MP is working hard to ensure issues being faced locally are being raised in Westminster, whilst Best for Britain CEO Naomi Smith also discussed the opportunity ahead for deeper alignment and the potential for this to boost UK GDP, as well as what we can glean from other EU free trade agreements.
Alison Reid, partner and office head in Belfast, said: “It was fascinating to hear from local businesses and organisations about the issues many of them are facing when trying to export from the mainland and beyond, and encouraging to hear how politicians and organisation such as the NI Chamber are highlighting these issues at the top level on behalf of members.”
