Ireland's Future latest: 'Tories continually knife DUP and NI in the back - and Donaldson must confront them over it'

The British property tycoon, who is a former donor to the Tory Party, said the Conservatives can no longer be relied on to keep the Union safe, and that it falls to the DUP to confront them over the issue.

Mr Habib made the comments to the News Letter following the latest rally by pro-referendum group Ireland’s Future, held in the Ulster Hall on Wednesday night.

As previously reported one of Ireland’s Future’s speakers, Belfast man Andrew Clarke, dropped out of the event after the News Letter started asking questions about his history of vitriolic anti-unionist comments online.

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Wednesday’s event is just the latest in the group’s island-wide roadshow, which brings together pro-Irish unity voices for a “conversation” on what the constitutional future should be.

Mr Habib said such people “presumptively talk of ‘Ireland’s’ future, assuming a unified Ireland”.

They are “aided and abetted by the Protocol” in their demands, he said “while Westminster is asleep at the wheel”.

The Tory government yesterday signalled firmly via that the DUP should drop its protest against the Protocol and re-enter government at Stormont – something Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has refused to do as long as the problems with the Irish Sea border remain unresolved to his satisfaction.

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Mr Habib went on: “Our Conservative and Unionist Party government refuses to fix the problem, forcing unionist parties in Northern Ireland into the trenches for their existential fight.

"All British citizens should be able to take the Union for granted, but with this government there is no such comfort.

“Being in the trenches has robbed these parties of the opportunity to paint and deliver a bright future for Northern Ireland.

“They urgently need to up their game or face ever shriller calls of the sort now being made by Sinn Fein and the Republic.

" Nationalists rightly smell our union to be in disarray, and are using every trick in the book to advance their cause.

"The Irish Sea border forced trade away from Great Britain to the Republic. It politically pushed the province towards the Republic.

"And with those foundations they are now mounting cultural claims.

“For too long the DUP has relied on the Tories. Again, and again the Tories have stabbed it and Northern Ireland in the back.

"There are no votes for the Tories in Northern Ireland and votes are all that matter to this ideologically devoid party.

“So, it is time for the DUP to take control of Northern Ireland’s destiny via England.

"Only by directly challenging the Conservative Party can the DUP fix our union and deliver a bright future for Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom.

“The man on whose shoulders the protection of our union rests is Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.

"He is brimming with terrific policies for the betterment of not just Northern Ireland but the country.

"To him I say, get out of the trenches, lift your eyes beyond Belfast to London. Bring unionism back to England; empower it in England – and then use that power to deliver your optimistic agenda.

"There are many good folks in England who will stand shoulder to shoulder with you.”

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> 'Separatism is not the answer': Unionist tonic to ‘Ireland’s Future’ launched in London by ex-DUP leader