Bryson: DUP will collapse Stormont on two conditions

Mr Bryson (pictured) claimed the DUP would collapse Stormont if there is “no tangible progress” on the NI Protocol, but Westminster still legislates for the Irish Language, or if the High Court goes ahead and compels DUP ministers to attend North-South Bodies.

“But even if the NI Protocol is fixed that will not be enough,” he said. He argues that the Northern Ireland Act 1998 must be amended to strengthen the principle of consent.

“The NI Protocol shows the principle of consent is merely symbolic and does not protect the substance of the Union,” he said. “The cross community consent required in the Northern Ireland Act 1998 has also been misapplied when it suited nationalists, so what is the point of it?”

He also objected to the pending Irish language legislation, which he says will give a statutory commissioner powers to “enhance” use of the language and not just facilitate it, and will result in irish being used prominently in public buildings.

But East Belfast Irish language activist Linda Ervince strongly supported the legislation. “This is for the benefit of those who speak Irish and will have little or no impact on those who are not speakers,” she said. “It will bring us more in line with other parts of the UK. Diversity and inclusiveness is the way forward for both the language and Northern Ireland and I look forward to the day when the language is spoken by greater numbers of people from the unionist community.”