Empty shelves have been seen in supermarkets. Picture by Mal McCann
Paul Ainsworth and PA
Northern Ireland Secretary of State Brandon Lewis. Picture by Niall Carson/PA Wire.
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis has said any empty shelves in Northern Ireland are due to coronavirus issues and not because of Brexit.
He told Sky News: “The unfettered access was always about Northern Ireland businesses into Great Britain – yes there is.
“The flow of food and goods linked to the EU and the Northern Ireland Protocol has been good actually.
“Where we’ve seen some images of empty shelves in Northern Ireland – although let’s be clear we’ve seen them across the UK recently – has been linked to Covid and some of the challenges we’ve had at Dover due to Covid just before Christmas and the flow through the supply line of that rather than through the protocol.