Jim Allister accuses the DUP of 'switching sides' in the fight against the Irish Sea border

The DUP had used its ability to block the formation of a Stormont Assembly and Executive as leverage in its fight against the Northern Ireland protocol for two years – something Mr Allister says they gave up.

The DUP ended its boycott after reaching a deal with the government which the party said would result in “zero checks and zero paperwork” on goods travelling within the UK and remove the green lane. Sir Jeffrey Donaldson also claimed his deal removed the border in the Irish Sea.

However, checks continue and recent legislation removed some key Stormont scrutiny powers – and handed the ability to implement the sea border arrangements over to London. The government has previously said that 5% checks are a “fundamental underpinning” of the arrangements with the EU.

In a statement, the TUV leader said: “Part of the deceptive salesmanship for the tainted Donaldson Deal was the pretence that their fight goes on to secure further unionist demands.

“Like the patently false claims that the Irish Sea border was gone with ‘zero checks, zero paperwork’, the claim of ongoing demands is equally false. The sad truth is that the DUP, once it gave up the only leverage it had, namely the Stormont Executive boycott, at the same time gave up resisting the Protocol and metamorphosed into Protocol implementers.

“Henceforth the DUP’s fight is a sham fight, just like the Donaldson surrender deal which changed not one word of the Protocol nor disapplied one syllable of EU law.

“The claims of Sir Jeffrey, now repeated by the Continuity leadership, that more would be obtained mirrors and adopts the UUP nonsense of fighting the Protocol from within an Assembly with no power or inclination to change one word of the Union-dismantling Protocol.

“Part of the honesty now required from the DUP leadership, in the aftermath of the tainted Donaldson Deal, is to end the dishonest pretence that they have now any interest other than that shared across the Stormont Executive of implementing the very thing they pledged to oppose, but now accept.

“TUV, however, with our shared vision with Reform UK of integrating, not dismantling, our Union, will continue to oppose every jot and tittle of the iniquitous Protocol and call out its implementers.”

On Thursday, the DUP’s interim leader Gavin Robinson insisted his party remains firmly committed to working within the restored political institutions at Stormont.

“Let me assure you all at home today that our focus is undiminished on making sure that our place within this United Kingdom is as strong as it can be, recognising the importance associated with the restoration of devolution, the importance of delivering for everyone in Northern Ireland,” he said.

“That is our focus, that shall not change, and, though this week has been difficult, we are firmly committed to the task ahead.”

The East Belfast MP said: “recognising the importance of restoring devolution, recognising the importance of our ability to serve the people that we are proud to represent, is what we are focused on.”

He also criticised those he said have “sought to manipulate the dreadful events of the last week for party political purposes, to sow discord or to achieve some narrow personal advantage”.

“I say shame on them,” he said.

“That is not what the people of Northern Ireland want and that is not where the people I have spoken to over the last week are.

“They appreciate the fact that devolution has been restored, they appreciate the positivity that our leaders within the Executive have brought forward for the people of Northern Ireland, and there is nothing that I can see in the short, medium or long term that should cause difficulty in that regard.”