‘No economic or cultural benefits’ to Brexit for the North

A post-Brexit recession will hit Northern Ireland harder and longer than the rest of the UK, Mairtin Ó Muilleoir has warned.

The Stormont finance minister also cautioned that anyone believing London would plug a European funding hole in the region — running into hundreds of millions — must “believe in fairies”. Mr Ó Muilleoir made his remarks before an Oireachtas committee in Dublin investigating the expected impact of Brexit on jobs and the economy across the island.

“At the minute, north of the border, we are staring into this Brexit black hole. I see no economic opportunity, no cultural opportunity, no opportunities for community uplift, and no opportunities for peace-building in a Brexit,” he told the hearing.