He was speaking following the publication of Lord Murphy’s Independent Review of the Windsor Framework.

The Upper Bann MLA has said: “Alliance consistently warned that there was no such thing as a good or sensible Brexit. Leaving the EU has been an enormous act of self-harm, creating uncertainty in the UK economy and increasing division in our politics.

“The Windsor Framework is imperfect, but thanks to the recklessly hard Brexit pursued by the DUP, remains necessary as the bare minimum to protect our economy and the Good Friday Agreement.

“Alliance’s consistent focus has been on practical and pragmatic solutions aimed at cutting red tape and costly Brexit bureaucracy, whilst building on the huge economic potential presented by dual market access.

“However, only a full reversal of Brexit can undo all the contradictions, tensions, and limitations which it has posed. We will continue to advocate a closer UK-EU relationship as the clearest way to ensure that businesses can interact more smoothly on both a north-south and east-west basis.”