Fifty protestors urge DUP not to 'sell out' as members arrive to hear Sir Jeffrey Donaldson present Government proposals at Larchfield Estate - Jamie Bryson live tweeted entire presentation

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson briefed party members at the venue over Government proposals aimed at ending Stormont’s power-sharing impasse.

Sir Jeffrey arrived at the Larchfield estate shortly before 7.20pm for the short-notice gathering of the DUP’s 130-strong executive.

Around 50 protesters assembled at the gates of the venue, many carrying posters and banners warning against a DUP “sell out”.

Some shouted at DUP members as they drove into the grounds of the venue.

According to social media reports, some DUP cars were cheered as they entered the estate while others were booed.

Mel Lucas from the TUV was one of the protestors.

He told the News Letter: "I'm here tonight to see that the DUP hold to the promises that they have made to the unionist people.

"Jeffrey seemed to be very angry in Westminster last week about other unionists holding him to account.

"But he really needs to be angry with the British government for betraying unionist people and not having the unionist people as equal citizens in the UK."

One of those protesting outside the DUP party executive meeting is Mid and East Antrim independent unionist councillor David Clarke, who quit the DUP earlier this month after claiming he had been subjected to bullying.

He said he was taking part in the demonstration to send the “strongest message possible” to Sir Jeffrey Donaldson to stand firm and resist the Government deal.

“There can be no EU law in this part of the United Kingdom and there can be no EU Irish Sea border,” he told the PA News Agency.

“He (Sir Jeffrey) has made commitments and promises to his electorate and any betrayal of that will be a travesty for unionism because it will be accepting that never again will Northern Ireland be a full and integral part of this United Kingdom and I think he should think long and hard before he jumps in and gives in to the pressure supplied by the British government by their game of blackmail and bribery.”

Mr Clarke added: “He needs to remember who put him and his party in the place that they’re in and he needs to honour his mandate and he needs to stand firm and honour the commitments that were made because anything else would be a sellout, no matter what he tries to say.”