#alternate alternate BBC Homepage * Skip to content * Accessibility Help * BBC Account * Home * News * Sport * Reel * Worklife * Travel * Future * Culture * MenuMore Search * Home * News * Sport * Reel * Worklife * Travel * Future * Culture * Music * TV * Weather * Sounds (BUTTON) Close menu BBC News Menu * Home * Coronavirus * Video * World * UK * Business * Tech * Science * Stories * Entertainment & Arts * Health More * World News TV * In Pictures * Reality Check * Newsbeat * Long Reads * N. Ireland * N. Ireland Politics * NI 100 Brexit: No risk to NI's place in UK, says Sammy Wilson By Mark Simpson BBC News NI Published 29 December 2020 (BUTTON) Share (BUTTON) close Share page (BUTTON) Copy link About sharing Related Topics * Brexit Sammy Wilson image captionSammy Wilson says he believes Brexit will strengthen the economy and the union The DUP MP, Sammy Wilson, has rejected suggestions that Northern Ireland's place within the UK will be jeopardised by the new Brexit arrangements. The DUP is unhappy about aspects of last week's trade deal and will vote against it at Westminster this week. But the party still believes Brexit is the best way forward. Meanwhile, the NI Executive has been recalled, and will meet at 12:00 GMT on Wednesday to debate a non-binding motion on the deal. Mr Wilson, the DUP's Brexit spokesman, said he believed the economy would grow as a result of the UK's withdrawal from the EU, strengthening the union. The post-Brexit trade deal has been approved by EU ambassadors, paving the way for it to take effect on 1 January. MPs will return to the House of Commons on Wednesday to vote on the deal. It was confirmed on Monday evening the Stormont assembly will also return early from Christmas recess to debate the post-Brexit trade deal. The speaker confirmed it in a letter to MLAs after a request from the first and deputy first ministers. MLAs will debate a motion that "takes note" of the deal reached by the UK and EU last week, but it will not be legally binding. 'The benefits' The DUP, the Alliance Party and the SDLP have all indicated they will vote against it. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said his party will not "support this form of Brexit or any other form of Brexit", describing it as a "thin deal." He did, however, welcome some of the "protections" for Northern Ireland, "but that's really just trying to get back somewhere close to where we are now". "I think it is almost certain now that the United Kingdom is coming to an end," Mr Eastwood continued. "Absolutely as a result of this I think we are much further down the road now, it's just how we manage it and how we get there." * Quick guide to what's in the Brexit deal * Brexit: Seven things that will change on 1 January But Mr Wilson said: "I can guarantee that once people in Northern Ireland - unionists and nationalists, Catholics and Protestants - look at the benefits of being part of the fifth biggest economy in the world, and an economy that I believe will grow as a result of Brexit and strengthen as a result of Brexit… I believe that they will understand that their future lies with Britain." The East Antrim MP said being within the UK was much better than any alternative arrangements. A farmer in a tractor drives anti-Brexit protest past signs near the Irish border image copyrightPA Media image captionA united Ireland will not become more likely due to Brexit, says Sammy Wilson He said the Republic of Ireland "gets tossed in the sea of economic storms, worldwide economic storms, like a cork". He added: "I know that nationalists, or some nationalists, think that Brexit will be the catalyst for a united Ireland. "The only catalyst for a united Ireland will be when the people of Northern Ireland come to the conclusion that it is not worthwhile being part of the UK." The DUP's decision to vote against the post-Brexit trade deal was confirmed on Monday evening. A party spokesperson said: "Whilst we accept that this agreement does bring about zero tariff and quota arrangements between the UK and the European Union, thus removing many goods from attracting tariffs between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the fact remains that this agreement does not assist Northern Ireland in the context of having to operate under the Northern Ireland protocol." Related Topics * Alliance Party (Northern Ireland) * SDLP (Social Democratic and Labour Party) * Sammy Wilson * DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) * Brexit More on this story * Brexit: NI MPs to vote against trade deal in Commons Published 28 December 2020 * Brexit: Why a trade deal is different for Northern Ireland Published 24 December 2020 * Brexit: Northern Ireland reaction to trade deal Published 24 December 2020 Top Stories * UK to close all travel corridors from Monday Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the action is needed to protect against the risk of new Covid strains. Published 27 minutes ago * Covid map: Where have the two million deaths been? Published 2 hours ago * Dutch government quits over welfare fraud scandal Published 4 hours ago Features * The 69-year-old trolled for her 'too sexy' photos Rajini Chandy * Rise and fall of the Spanish state's secret fixer Former Spanish police commissioner José Manuel Villarejo arriving at court, Madrid, Spain - 01 Feb 2016 * Inside the world's richest e-sports player's mansion. VideoInside the world's richest e-sports player's mansion Johan Sundstein's mansion * Weekly quiz: What's the Sex and the City reboot called? Sarah Jessica Parker * Where it was the president who banned social media A young woman using a phone * Martin Luther King in colour Dr. Martin Luther King leans forward over a podium * The men vying to take Merkel's top job in Germany (L-R) Friedrich Merz, Armin Laschet, and Norbert Röttgen * BBC Worklife: The women running companies in 1870BC Cecil Michel etching an Old Assyrian woman's letter * Wikipedia at 20: The encyclopedia in five articles Wikipedia 20 years Elsewhere on the BBC * Lyrics quiz Have you been getting these songs wrong? Michael Stipe, Jimmi Hendrix and Taylor Swift - lyrics quiz image * Feeling hot What happens to your body in extreme heat? extreme heat image Most Read * UK to close all travel corridors from Monday1 * Dutch government quits over welfare fraud scandal2 * EU nations hit by reduced Pfizer vaccine deliveries3 * Biden starts with brand new Potus Twitter account4 * 'Violent gust of wind' caused Grand Canyon crash5 * Covid map: Where have the two million deaths been?6 * The 69-year-old trolled for her 'too sexy' photos7 * Nazi camp no place for sledging, authorities warn8 * Uganda president in clear lead as rival cries foul9 * Man charged after woman, 92, given fake vaccine10 BBC News Services * On your mobile * On smart speakers * Get news alerts * Contact BBC News * Home * News * Sport * Reel * Worklife * Travel * Future * Culture * Music * TV * Weather * Sounds * Terms of Use * About the BBC * Privacy Policy * Cookies * Accessibility Help * Parental Guidance * Contact the BBC * Get Personalised Newsletters * Why you can trust the BBC * Advertise with us * AdChoices / Do Not Sell My Info © 2021 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.