Sir Jeffrey Donaldson: New prime minister needs to match his words with firm action

The government gave a clear commitment in the New Decade New Approach Agreement to protect Northern Ireland’s place in the UK internal market. That commitment has not yet been delivered and yet here we are facing a second assembly election in a matter of months.

We had an election six months ago. Its result still stands. Unionism gave the DUP a mandate to replace the protocol. Indeed, every unionist MLA elected, opposes the protocol.

This week, I have signed off on our election campaign arrangements. We will go to the people and renew our mandate. I never fear an election and as the secretary of state may appreciate, the only politicians who fear an election are those who are out of step with their electorate. The DUP is in step with the people who want Northern Ireland to prosper.

If the new prime minister wants to see a fully functioning Stormont, then he will have to deal with the protocol once and for all. The protocol must be replaced with arrangements that unionists can support.

But this is not just a unionist issue. The protocol is driving up costs for everyone.

The experts on haulage told a House of Lords Committee last week that if the protocol was fully implemented then our supply chains “would collapse within 48 hours”. And they warned that the people of Northern Ireland better have freezers full of food as the shelves would be empty.

Paul Jackson, commercial director of McBurney Transport – the largest shipper of goods in either Northern Ireland or the Irish Republic – has said: ‘‘Unfortunately, a large percentage of our customers in GB have just decided that Northern Ireland is only 2% of their overall sales process and they just said ‘you know what, we’re not going to supply’.”

We have a duty as the unionists who want to see Northern Ireland succeed to ensure the foundations are right for the next generation. We must stand strong at this moment. We must get arrangements that restore Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom.

The protocol has polluted every area of government:

l As we try to fix our NHS, the protocol is jeopardising the supply of medicines to Northern Ireland.

l As we try to improve our infrastructure, the protocol has triggered a costly 25% tariff on the steel used to build our schools, roads, hospitals, and houses.

l As we try to help people with the cost of living, the protocol is driving up transport costs and the prices on our shelves.

l As we encourage people to install green energy, Treasury tax breaks are not available in Northern Ireland because of the protocol.

The protocol debris needs removed if the devolved government foundations are to be stabilised.

I recognise progress has been made. Eighteen months ago Dublin and Brussels as well as Sinn Fein, the SDLP and the Alliance Party wanted the protocol “rigorously implemented”. None of them are saying that anymore. They can now see that our warnings have merit but they are refusing to grasp the nettle and replace the protocol.

Stormont and more importantly Northern Ireland can have a bright and prosperous future if the protocol is replaced by arrangements that respect our place in the UK internal market, whilst enabling legitimate cross-border trade to continue.

The prime minister said on his first day in office that he would unite the nation, not just with words but with actions. That being the case, the government need to focus on replacing the protocol with arrangements that respect the integrity of the United Kingdom. The sooner this is achieved, the sooner we will have a fully functioning Stormont once more.

l Sir Jeffrey Donaldson is the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party and MP for Lagan Valley