DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson welcomes Tony Blair’s intervention on Northern Ireland Protocol

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson called on the EU today to heed Tony Blair’s demand that Brussels should be more flexible and open to changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol.
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Mr Blair, a key architect of the Belfast Agreement, said “significant movement” was required by the EU in terms of compromises over border checks on goods from GB, the ECJ and EU legislation.

Welcoming Mr Blair’s intervention, the DUP leader said he would examine the former Prime Minister’s proposals against the party’s seven tests.

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Tony Blair is correct. He is also correct to say that the Protocol is a bad deal and is undermining the Good Friday Agreement. The EU should take note and recognise the harm the Protocol is doing to political stability in Northern Ireland”, he said.

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said he would examine Tony Blair's proposals against his party's seven tests on the ProtocolDUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said he would examine Tony Blair's proposals against his party's seven tests on the Protocol
DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said he would examine Tony Blair's proposals against his party's seven tests on the Protocol

Sir Jeffrey continued: “The political will to get a solution, which respects Northern Ireland’s place in the United Kingdom, has been absent for too long.

“The Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly must be built on stable foundations. These institutions only have value if they enjoy the confidence and support of the people they were established to serve. Not one unionist MLA supports the Protocol. That makes it impossible for power sharing to operate on the basis of cross community consensus.”

The DUP leader added: “The DUP has a mandate to see the Protocol replaced with arrangements that restore our place within the UK internal market. Any new arrangements must command the support of unionists as well as nationalists.

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“The Protocol threatens our place in the United Kingdom, endangers jobs for our people, drives up costs for consumers and reduces choice on our shelves. We’re making progress but we need to keep moving.”

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