Doug Beattie says Protocol interview comments were taken out of context and he does believe Union is damaged

The current UUP leader had done an interview on the Sunday Politics TV show yesterday, and former UUP leader Mike Nesbitt followed this up with an interview on the Stephen Nolan Show on BBC Radio Ulster this morning.

Mr Beattie insisted in his interview that “my union is not going to be destroyed by this… I don’t think there’s a threat”, adding that it might help to move the sea border to Scotland and England, instead of Northern Irish ports.

Mr Nesbitt said in his interview that “I want to downgrade the Protocol from a crisis to a challenge”.

You can read an abridged transcript of those interviews here.

The comments prompted an upwelling of criticism.

TUV leader Jim Allister said his comments were “disappointing, even alarming”.

“Any unionist who understands the Protocol could not adopt such a complacent and unwarranted stance,” he said.

“It can only be music to the ears of all who wish such constitutional damage to hear the UUP leader now deny the obvious.”

– ONLINE BATTLE COMMENCES –

Among the many voices online attacking Mr Beattie was loyalist activist Jamie Bryson (@JamieBrysonCPNI, 39,900 followers).

• He wrote on Twitter: "The UUP are constitutionally illiterate. Beyond an embarrassment. They now claim the Protocol poses no threat to the Union.

“This despite the subjugation of the Act of Union (which is the Union) and NI being treated as part of the EU with GB a foreign country.…

"Honest to goodness, this is embarrassing.

“The *existence* of the Irish Sea border is the problem, moving the frontier to the GB side of the Irish Sea doesn’t remove the border, it simply moves it. Who is advising the UUP on this utter nonsense?…

"Just listened back to @mikenesbittni on Nolan now describing the unionist opposition Protocol as merely a ‘perception’ of a threat to the Union.

“The UUP are utterly shameless, deluded and a clear threat to the Union. If the subjugation of the Union isn’t a threat, what is?”

• Joining him was fellow loyalist activist Moore Holmes (@mooreholmes24, 9,925 followers).

"Just astonishing. I know the UUP are soft on the Protocol, but for their leader to completely dismiss the serious threat that it poses to the Union is quite remarkable,” he said.

"How out of touch can they be with the Unionist electorate? What had the party of Carson and Craig become?”

• Kate Hoey (@CatharineHoey, 151,100 followers) wrote: “Presumably he wouldn’t have said this if Lord David Trimble was still alive.

"Remember David said it tore the heart out of the Union. No wonder the UUP don’t want another election. They will be decimated!”

• RESTORE UK (@restoreukni, 993) said: “Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie has said border checks at Liverpool or Stranraer could be a solution to the Protocol impasse. @BeattieDoug is losing his mind! Is he intentionally trying to anger Unionists?”

• And Henry Wilson (@1stBaronetDSO, 2,720) wrote: “What parts of the Protocol being a constitutional & economic threat does Doug Beattie not get? What path is Doug (and the others wrecking the UUP from within) currently following and to who's agenda? It certainly is not that of the Union and 'fellow' unionists!”

Many UUP members and others meanwhile weighed in with their support, and criticised those above.

• Some of those from outside the party fold included Stephen Farry (@StephenFarryMP, 18,900) who said: “Biggest threat to the union is Bryson and Co. They are destroying the union from within.”

• Meanwhile ex-Alliance MLA Trevor Lunn (@TrevorLunnLV, 5,856) said: “There’s a pattern within Unionism which is beginning to accept that the Protocol deal in whatever becomes the final agreement does not need to threaten the Union.

“Doug Beattie has enough about him to realise and articulate this. Fair play to him.”

• And ‘Arlene O' Neill’ (@arleneseesit, 1,590) said: “Doug Beattie made it clear he is not happy with the NIP. He does not see need for Green lane checks. He would accept Red lane EU checks.

“DUP accepted NIP as serious, stable & sensible.”

– FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH –

Speaking to the News Letter this afternoon, Mr Beattie was asked about his comments, and the way they have been interpreted.

In essence, he argued that his words were taken out of context, adding that he does believe the Protocol poses a threat to the Union – but a long-term one, as opposed to a short-term one.

“Is it a threat? Yes it’s a threat,” he said.

"The whole conversation we had on the radio, or on the television yesterday, needs to be looked at in the round, in the whole context of it.

"So yes, it is a threat. But it’s not the immediate threat that we’re going to slide into a united Ireland now.

"It’s a threat where, if it’s not dealt with in the long-term, it’s going to erode Northern Ireland’s place within the Union.

"You have to look at the whole conversation that was had yesterday. People are trying to spin the line that ‘the Union is that fragile, it’s gonna collapse now’ – that was the argument I was making: that that’s not the case. Does that make sense?

"If we don’t get something sorted out, it’ll erode Northern Ireland’s place within the Union. People have taken it completely out of context.

"If they sat down and watched the 30 minute programme, they will hear me time and time stating that the Protocol was a bad deal, we do not support the Protocol, that the Protocol needs to be changed. It’s that clear.”

He was asked whether he believes the Protocol has already damaged the Union, as opposed to it having the potential to do so later.

"It’s undermining a couple of things. It’s undermines confidence. It’s undermining the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. It’s undermining these things. Again, these are things we’ve been saying since 2019.

"We are the only major party that hasn’t changed its position since 2019. People are playing with words.

"For anybody who’s saying ‘right now we are about to slide into a united Ireland’, that’s not the case. But, if it’s not dealt with in the long term, then it undermines our position within the Union.”

Pressed again on whether the Protocol has already harmed the Union, Mr Beattie said: “It has, because we no longer devolved government. We do not have a united Union in many ways. And it’s undermined the Belfast / Good Friday Agreement which [underpins] the governance mechanisms of Northern Ireland.

"So yes, of course it’s been damaged.”

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• Paisley rebuffs Starmer: 'It is Dublin - not London - that bears biggest blame for British-Irish breakdown in relations'

• Seven US politicians issue declaration lauding Good Friday Agreement and calling for its 'full implementation'

• Talks walk-out: Ex-DUP boss dubs the SDLP 'Sinn Fein's poodles' as he attacks both parties over 'victimhood nonsense'