For all his apologies to Ireland, Steve Baker still has a wrong to put right for unionists

With the Conservative leadership U-turning all over the place it is legitimate to question their direction and policy in relation to Northern Ireland.

Did Steve Baker’s apologies contain policy content or was it merely a change in presentation?

As an ardent member of the European Research Group (ERG) Steve and his colleagues have a wrong to put right. In getting Brexit over the line they betrayed unionists with the imposition of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Many unionists will feel apologies are due from the Irish Republic for the instability caused by the protocol within the political and constitutional environment and the harm that it has done to trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Since the UK voted to leave the EU, the Republic of Ireland has acted as a bad neighbour alongside the European Commission’s determination to punish the UK by retaining Northern Ireland in a half way house of equal citizenship and exercising legal sovereignty over part of the United Kingdom.

At a time when the pan nationalist front was promoting a united Ireland at their rally in Dublin, unionists of all parties should have been in Birmingham in strength at one-to-one meetings, receptions and events getting messages across to politicians, delegates and the media.

Where were they?

David W B Burnside, Ballymoney, Former Ulster Unionist MP