William Bain, Head of Trade Policy at the BCC, said:

"With the cliff-edge looming at the end of the month on expiry of easements on customs, food and e-commerce packages, businesses will welcome the relief that goods can move across to Northern Ireland without any additional disruption for the next few months.

“This extension is open-ended but may buy businesses only a few months in additional grace periods. We urge both sides to reach an agreement quickly to provide durable clarity for businesses serving customers in Northern Ireland and to work at improving overall UK-EU relations on trade."

Read the full written ministerial statement from Lord Frost here.