Loyalist activist Moore Holmes says it looks like DUP leadership is mounting a 'choreographed blitzkrieg back into Stormont' and urges patience to fully digest deal

Speaking to the News Letter, Mr Holmes – who was instrumental in organising a string of anti-Protocol rallies across Northern Ireland in recent years – said it feels like some are being too hasty in accepting the deal’s terms.

He wondered if this was being done to get the DUP back into government before the full particulars of the deal have been read and understood, adding that “it appears like a choreographed blitzkrieg back into Stormont”.

"One cannot understate just how defining a moment this is for Northern Ireland and our place within the United Kingdom,” he said.

"The effects of this deal are of huge consequence for the Union in the long-term, whatever way you slice it.

"For something so critical, it is not to be hastily judged or impulsively analysed.

"Only until the deal has been afforded proper legal and public scrutiny can people come to a fair and reasoned analysis of it. Therefore, people ought to genuinely take their time to study what exactly has been agreed before making their mind up.

"I would urge the DUP to give people the time and space to do that. The deal needs to be vigorously scrutinised both publicly and legally.

"With reports suggesting a return to Stormont is imminent, one cannot help but feel the entire process is being rushed. Is this to avoid that scrutiny?

"It appears like a choreographed blitzkrieg back into Stormont.”

More from this reporter in the last 48 hours:

• WATCH: Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris tells the House of Commons that Northern Ireland is '100%' as British as London

• DUP MP Paul Girvan says the deal on the table from the government to restore Stormont means Northern Ireland will remain part of the EU single market; cites lack of access to duty-free goods for NI travellers

• Sammy Wilson appears to break ranks with the DUP leadership and criticises the government's deal – calling the Tories 'spineless Brexit-betrayers'

• Loyalist Communities Council chairman David Campbell says that a Sinn Fein First Minister for Northern Ireland is 'anti-democratic'

• Man whose father and uncle were both shot dead by the IRA says that having Sinn Fein First Minister is a sign 'society has lost its moral compass'

Mr Holmes added: “If the deal delivers, then there should be no need to rush.

"Communicate clearly how it delivers, bring the people with you, and lay out why this is best for the Union.

"If it does not deliver, then as a matter of national importance let it be proven where and why it falls short, because this is about more than party politics and personal agendas.

"This is about Northern Ireland’s long-term place in the United Kingdom."