US President Joe Biden accused of economic bribery by TUV leader Jim Allister

​After Joe Biden gave his speech in Ulster University, Mr Allister commented: “To the diet of lies and distortion fed to unionists by the PM and the Secretary of State – and some of their local patsies – over the Windsor Whitewash, we now have the added ingredient from anti-unionist Biden of the hint and suggestion of the bribery of economic aid, if only unionists would operate Stormont to irreversibly implement their detachment from the UK and hasten all-Ireland alignment.”

He added: “No one should be surprised by such tactics – we’ve seen them before, with a financial bungs on offer to restore Stormont following previous upsets. In the past, as with New Decade New Approach, the DUP fell for it, only to discover the promised package was smoke and mirrors. This time there is so much more at stake, because to operate Stormont now is to assent to the dismantling of the UK and to implement an Irish Sea border.

“Protocol slaves in the garb and trimmings of ministerial status is not a role any unionist, no matter how cajoled, coerced or conned, can perform.”

DUP MP Sammy Wilson also spoke of the promise of US cash on BBC Radio 4: “No amount of American money is going to persuade us to sign up to an arrangement which even the Windsor Framework agrees will lead to greater divergence between Northern Ireland and the country to which we belong, the UK and we’re not going to do that and we’ll not be bought and we’ll certainly not be bullied.”