THE Scottish Government has dismissed claims by Alister Jack that a post-Brexit border control post may not be needed at Cairnryan – saying UK ministers have agreed a facility is required.

Plans for the £30 million “inland border facility” in Dumfries and Galloway were revealed earlier this month, to carry out checks on goods imported from Ireland and the wider EU via Northern Ireland.

In an interview last week, the Scottish Secretary claimed it may not be needed, as talks are ongoing with the EU on the Northern Ireland Protocol.

On ITV Border’s Representing Border, Jack was asked about the border control post which is going to be in his constituency.

He replied: “No there isn’t. Not at the moment” and that the Scottish Government “plans to have one”.

When asked if they needed to have one he replied: “Well, at the moment as I say we would need to wait and see the outcome of the negotiations on the Northern Ireland Protocol go. That is not a given at this stage.”

However, in response to his comments a Scottish Government spokesperson said: “In January the UK Government confirmed checks would be required on EU-origin goods arriving in Great Britain at Cairnryan as a consequence of the hard Brexit deal negotiated by the UK Government.

“The Scottish Government now has to establish facilities in the Loch Ryan area to inspect animals, plants, food and feed – for which responsibility is devolved – arriving in Scotland from the Republic of Ireland and the wider EU via Northern Ireland.

“The UK Government has agreed this facility is required and we have been in regular engagement over its development.

“The Scottish Government is also pressing the UK Government to cover all costs associated with the facility as it is expenditure directly linked to EU Exit.”

The Scottish Secretary was quizzed on whether the border post would not be needed because the UK may get a deal to get rid of the border in the Irish Sea, which was effectively introduced by Brexit.

Jack said he had spoken to Brexit minister David Frost on the issue, but when pressed how it could be solved would not reveal any details.

He added: “The answer is discussions are ongoing with the EU on how we carry out the Northern Ireland Protocol, how stringently it is imposed.

“And as I say their interpretation of it is very different to ours.”

The focus of the dispute over the protocol in recent weeks has been on goods moving across the Irish Sea from Great Britain into Northern Ireland, particularly EU rules which were due to come into force which would ban chilled meats such as sausages being sent across.

Dr Kirsty Hughes, founder of the Scottish Centre of European Relations, said it looked like the EU might accept a short extension of the “grace period” which currently allows that to happen, but the Northern Ireland Protocol would still be there.

She also said the idea of the Northern Ireland Protocol being applied too “stringently” was odd.

“It is all there in considerable detail – all these different rules and regulations are all listed and they were there to be applied,” she said.

“If people on the UK Government side genuinely didn’t understand that, they didn’t do their job properly, they weren’t briefed by civil servants properly – so it is quite hard to believe.

“It is not just about checking if some goods are at risk of going on to the Republic of Ireland.

“This is an EU external border to some extent, an absolutely extraordinary thing that [Boris] Johnson did.

“Blaming the EU for the hard Brexit you chose and the extraordinary border you chose to put within your own state is both childish but also typical of Brexiteer rhetoric.”