Liam Neeson tells Northern Ireland politicians to ‘get back to work’

By David Young, PA

Liam Neeson has issued a blunt message to Northern Ireland politicians to get back to work.

The Co Antrim-born Hollywood star expressed frustration at the Stormont impasse over post Brexit trading arrangements.

The devolved powersharing institutions are currently in cold storage due to a DUP boycott in protest at economic barriers on trade moving from Great Britain into Northern Ireland.

The EU and UK have recently agreed a fresh deal to address issues with the contentious Northern Ireland Protocol trading arrangements, but the DUP has yet to sign up to the new Windsor Framework agreement and Stormont remains down.

The framework would reduce checks on Northern Ireland destined goods arriving from Britain with the creation of a green lane, with products set for onward transit into the Republic of Ireland entering via a red lane.

In an interview on RTÉ’s Late Late Show, New York-based Neeson, 70, was asked whether he keeps up to date with political developments back home.

“I try to,” he said.

“Certainly, with the whole protocol and stuff there’s a part of you wants to say ‘come on for God’s sake, we are talking about sausages here and the shit that’s going on in the Middle East and Ukraine of course’.

“But they’re working their way through it and, you know, there’s no border and there’s going to be a green lane and a red lane.

“How many months did that take to think ‘hey, let’s think of a green lane and a red lane’?

“And get back to work for God’s sake. You are drawing a salary. Get back to work, represent the people, all the people.”

Neeson currently stars in Marlowe, which will be his 100th film, and tells the story of a brooding, down on his luck detective hired to find the ex-lover of a glamorous heiress in Los Angeles.

His role of detective Phillip Marlowe is based on the famous character created by American-British author Raymond Chandler.