Jim Allister: My key concern is not the personalities of the DUP, but that it has unionist policies

With regard to the outcome of the DUP leadership election, my key concern is that unionism, whatever the personalities, gets and remains wholly focussed on the defeat of the Union-dismantling NI Protocol

Neither spin nor bluster will do it. Rather, determined political actions whereby the Protocol is no longer implemented but rendered unworkable is the only hope.

Anyone in any doubt as to the adverse constitutional impact of the Protocol will have that doubt removed by the content of the government’s submitted argument in the Judicial Review legal challenge.

In the course of their skeleton argument they contend the foundational principle of unfettered trade within and between all parts of the UK, as established by Art 6 of the Acts of Union, has been impliedly repealed by the Withdrawal Agreement.

While it is confirmatory of what unionists have said, namely that Article 6 has been shredded, it is beyond shocking that the prime minister and government of the United Kingdom are driven to argue that by their hand, through their Withdrawal Act, a key aspect of the Acts of Union has been repealed.

What sort of Conservative and Unionist Party embraces the ignominy of such a claim, and even boasts of it in legal proceedings?

The constitutional import of such flippant destruction of a cornerstone of the Union, and its defence, is immense.

Jim Allister QC MLA, TUV leader

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