Letter: Rather than withdrawing their MLAs from Stormont, DUP should be withdrawing their MPs from Westminster

Sammy Wilson’s interview with Friday’s BBC Good Morning Ulster removes any doubts that there is a split between the Westminster wing of the DUP and their Stormont MLAs.

While defending the DUP failure to return to Stormont, Mr Wilson argues (1h 45m in) that our financial problems come in part from ‘the foolish things’ introduced by the previous Stormont administration which was led by the DUP.

I suggest Mr Wilson is being unfair on the MLAs, the DUP problem lies at Westminster rather than Stormont. It was at Westminster the DUP MPs became seduced by the Tory ERG, we remember their MPs supporting Nigel Farage and Brexit; while they were drunk on the excitement of holding balance of power, they openly humiliated Theresa May (who at least was a genuine supporter of the union) on at least two occasions and helped prepare the way for Boris Johnson. The Westminster MPs should have been assessing the reliability of Johnson but they invited Boris Johnson to address the DUP conference just before he betrayed them.

We have had no government for 18 months thanks to the DUP Stormont boycott, yet in Westminster the DUP MPs continue to turn up but fail to win much support with only 29 votes vs 515 against the Windsor Framework. Anyone else would have recognised this utter humiliation.

Looking at this in terms of what they could deliver and what undesirable changes they could prevent, it is the Westminster wing that is letting the DUP down. They couldn’t prevent Westminster passing the abortion regulations, the Legacy Bill or the Irish Language Act. Sinn Fein seem to have more influence at Westminster and they don’t even take their seats.

Rather than withdrawing their MLAs from Stormont, perhaps the DUP should be withdrawing their MPs from Westminster where they are performing no useful role and allow their MLAs to return to work with their other unionist colleagues in Stormont, delivering good government for Ulster.

Arnold Carton, Belfast BT6