RHA welcomes Government response to Murphy Review but warns of missed opportunity

RHA welcomes Government response to Lord Murphy Review but warns of missed opportunity to address GB-NI haulage frictions 

The RHA (Road Haulage Association) has welcomed the UK Government's acceptance of the recommendations from Lord Murphy's Independent Review of the Windsor Framework but warns that the response fails to specifically address longstanding frictions faced by road freight and logistics operators.

Lord Murphy's review was clear that challenges persist, especially for hauliers operating between Great Britain and Northern Ireland and must be addressed. The RHA is pleased that the Government has accepted the recommendations and welcomes the inclusion of the Association in the new Northern Ireland Business Stakeholders Group. The announcement of a Trade Resolution Centre for complex cases is encouraging, though it remains to be seen how the one-stop shop would work in practice. However, the RHA believes there has been a missed opportunity to address the specific challenges and frictions faced by hauliers who are essential to moving goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland daily.


Commenting, RHA Policy Director Martin Reid said:


"We welcome the Government's acceptance of Lord Murphy's recommendations, this is a positive step. However, the response doesn't go far enough to address frictions faced by hauliers. Businesses and consumers in Northern Ireland continue to face challenges, with further changes coming in with ICS2 on 1 January.

"The Government's response makes no firm commitments to assisting firms in our industry who move goods and materials between GB and NI. We continue to believe a Trusted Haulier Scheme should be introduced, and we repeat our call for the determination of risk to be moved to the point of sale. We look forward to continuing to work with decision-makers and officials to find further solutions."


The RHA has consistently warned of the risk of disruption to the movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland under evolving Windsor Framework guidelines and remains committed to working with Government to ensure the needs of road freight businesses are properly addressed.