Promotion of the benefits of dual market access, and trade agreements with the EU, India and the US, comes during UK Government's International Trade Week
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn MP will today [Wednesday 05 November] visit three businesses that are benefitting from Northern Ireland's unique dual market access.
Northern Ireland's dual market access enables the free movement of goods between Great Britain and the EU, and is increasingly being recognised by both foreign and domestic investors as a unique trading advantage.
The Secretary of State will begin his day by addressing Belfast Chamber of Commerce, where he will set out how UK Government investment is helping to build a globally competitive and regionally balanced economy.
This will be followed by a visit to Camlin Group, an electrical manufacturing specialist based in Lisburn which operates in 17 countries including the US, the EU and Australia. Further expansion is planned across the west coast of America, the UK, Europe, and the Middle East from early 2026. Camlin Group has described dual market access as being instrumental in their ability to expand operations and increase exports to customers worldwide.
The Secretary of State will then visit Leckey, also based in Lisburn, which is a globally recognised pioneer in the research and development of products that help children and adults with disabilities in everyday activities. The company employs almost 180 people and is accessing both the UK and EU markets seamlessly, which the company says has allowed it to expand its reach, support local employment, and remain at the forefront of innovation in paediatric mobility.
The Secretary of State will end the day with a visit to The Exact Group in Newry. The Exact Group is a rapid response and volume precision engineering and finishing company known for its high-quality service, delivery and performance. In November 2024, Exact's Director of Operations, Ronan Callan, participated in a workshop on dual market access during Invest Northern Ireland's client conference at ICC Belfast. During the workshop, Mr Callan highlighted the benefits that The Exact Group is experiencing thanks to the region's dual market access, and the opportunities that are being presented.
Today's visits come as the Windsor Framework Independent Monitoring Panel (IMP) has published its report on the performance of the Government's UK internal market guarantee, for goods moving from GB to NI.
The report confirms that the Guarantee has been met overall in the first six months of 2025, with 96% of freight movements taking place within the UK internal market system and therefore well over the 80% target.
The report also contains an important set of recommendations to the Government to support the smooth flow of goods within the UK, which will now be considered by the Secretary of State.
Speaking ahead of his visits today, the Secretary of State said:
Northern Ireland's dual market access is a unique trading advantage which is increasingly helping to generate investment and jobs in the industries of the future. Camlin, Leckey and Exact are three great examples of this.
Following the UK Government's recent negotiation of trade deals with the United States and India, and the huge benefits that will come from a UK-EU SPS agreement, businesses across Northern Ireland are in a great position to take advantage of its unique status.
This Government is committed to helping unlock opportunities, attract investment and create highly-skilled jobs across Northern Ireland. This is central to our mission of growing the economy.
The Secretary of State will be accompanied by Peter Curran, the Head of Dual Market Access at InvestNI, to all three visits.
Speaking about the growth seen by Exact Group, Peter Curran, Head of dual market access at InvestNI, said:
Invest NI's Dual Market Access Unit has been raising awareness of the opportunities our unique access to Great Britain and the European Union provides. The Exact Group has used that competitive advantage to grow its business in both markets. That growth has contributed to Northern Ireland being the only UK region to increase manufacturing sales to the EU in both 2023 and 2024.
Camlin Group CEO Peter Cunningham said:
"Northern Ireland's unique dual market access provides a powerful platform for growth, enabling us to trade freely across both Great Britain and EU markets. This advantage has been key to our global expansion and rising exports.
Our growth reflects increasing demand for our technologies across the energy and rail sectors, supported by recent expansions into the Middle East and Australia, and upgraded facilities in Atlanta, Coventry, Lyon, and Belgrade. Looking ahead, we plan further growth across the West Coast of America, the UK, Europe, and the Middle East from 2026.
Through the large-scale rollout of our low and high voltage sensor technologies and our Sapient platform, we're delivering complete, data-driven solutions that enhance performance, efficiency, and predictive capability for utilities and rail networks worldwide.
Notes:
- A trade survey by the NI Chamber of Commerce and Invest NI in late 2023 found that 71% of businesses believe dual market access is enabling their business to grow or increase sales.
- In September 2025, the parcel delivery company Evri announced the opening of a new £1.3m 'EU gateway' depot in Mallusk, creating 650 new jobs. Evri said the facility would allow itself "to avail of dual market access".
- In August 2025, Deli-Lites - a food-to-go manufacturer - announced it was investing £19m to expand its range and create 130 jobs, saying: "We are in a unique position, with a Northern Irish base, and therefore we have access to both the UK and EU markets."
- In May 2025, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland visited PRM Group, a Lisburn-based food distribution company that have cited dual market access as a major factor behind its growth strategy, which over the past year has enabled it to commit to a £15m investment in its Lisburn headquarters paired with the creation of 40 additional jobs.
- The UK's trade deal with India will deliver £50m annually to the Northern Ireland economy. Advanced manufacturing and engineering, whiskey producers and services and technology sectors are set to benefit from growth following a reduction or near elimination of tariffs delivered as part of the deal.
- For the first time ever, the UK-US trade deal will open up exclusive access for UK beef to the US market. This is a major opportunity for NI farmers to sell their high quality beef to a market of over 300 million people, helping farmers grow their business. Our deal also protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors.
- The Windsor Framework Independent Monitoring Panel's report can be found here .
- Secretary of State's Written Ministerial Statement on today's publication of the Windsor Framework Independent Monitoring Panel's report available here .
