Swann Challenges Chancellor Over Red Tape Facing Northern Ireland Businesses

South Antrim MP Robin Swann has pressed the Treasury for urgent clarity on whether Northern Ireland businesses will feel the full benefits of the Government's newly re-established Better Regulation Executive and regulatory savings package.

Mr Swann has asked the Chancellor following the Budget, clarifying the geographical remit of the Better Regulation Executive, focusing on the specific financial value for Northern Ireland firms within a wider £800 million regulatory cost-reduction scheme, and any active engagement with the Northern Ireland Executive.

In response, Treasury Minister Dan Tomlinson confirmed that the new Better Regulation Executive will cover the whole United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland, and that the administrative savings and tariff suspensions announced at Budget 2026 apply across the UK. However, the Treasury conceded that the exact financial value for Northern Ireland businesses will only become known as the measures are implemented.

Speaking on the need to tackle excessive red tape, Robin Swann MP said:

"Local businesses across South Antrim are being swamped with unnecessary regulation, not least due to the ongoing complications of the Windsor Framework. It is essential that the work of the re-established Better Regulation Executive extends fully to Northern Ireland to strip away this bureaucracy.

"While the Government highlights millions spent to boost internal UK trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, the irony is that much of this expenditure would be entirely unnecessary if excessive regulatory barriers and paperwork had not been imposed on our internal market in the first place.

"I will continue pressing Ministers to ensure that Northern Ireland does not miss out on these promised regulatory savings and that our local business environment is properly protected and supported."