Northern Ireland Protocol: Ex-DUP man says salary cut for party's MLAs should not be a deciding factor on deal

North Down MLA Alex Easton was speaking amid ongoing anticipation of an agreement between the EU and the UK.

The DUP leadership is under pressure from two directions – from those who want to see it compromise and back a deal which leaves key parts of the Protocol intact, and those who want to see the party hold out for a harder set of objectives.

The DUP walked out of government just over a year ago in protest at the Protocol, leading to the devolved parliament being unable to function.

As of January 1, the Tory government slashed MLAs’ salaries by 27.5%, on the basis that they are not doing their full jobs.

As a result, the gross salary for an MLA fell from £51,500, to £37,338.

This was done to pressurise the DUP to go back into government.

It is thought that the DUP could be less well-prepared to weather this cut than its would-be partners-in-government, Sinn Fein, because the latter enjoys a much bigger bank balance.

The Electoral Commission said that, in 2022, the republican party had an income of £1.6m (it is not clear if this covers just its Northern Ireland wing, or represents the party’s all-Ireland income).

The DUP’s income, by contrast, was £339,000.

Asked about the financial pressure on the DUP to agree to a deal, Mr Easton told the News Letter: “You should be in politics for your principles, and not what you're paid.”

As to what the party will do, he said the DUP’s seven tests do not leave "much room for maneuver", and that even if it wanted to compromise, the public stance it has struck so far means it will be forced to "stick to its guns".

Sir Jeffrey, he said, is “standing his ground, he’s told everybody what he's going to do, and he's done it”.

He also said that the government should be continuing to press through the Protocol Bill, which would give UK ministers the power to unilaterally over-ride the Protocol.

The bill had been put on ice while negotiations with the EU took place.

Mr Easton said: “Anybody would be foolish to throw away their negotiating hand.

"To stall the bill, cancel the bill, remove the bill, would give your negotiating hand away.”

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