Nationalists undermining peace and prosperity in effort to advance a border poll: DUP

Addressing the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly, the DUP leader has “too much respect” for his nationalist neighbours to seek a hard border on the island of Ireland, and would appreciate it if the “same level of respect” was reciprocated in relation to the Irish Sea border.

Sir Jeffrey made his comments after Foreign Secretary James Cleverly had hailed the “level of trust” between him and European Commission diplomat Maros Sefcovic in drafting the Windsor Framework.

The framework was announced by the UK and EU in February as “a set of meaningful changes to the [NI] Protocol and its operation which will provide lasting certainty and stability for citizens and businesses in Northern Ireland”.

Mr Cleverly said: “We have to recognise that we will not agree on everything, but in mature relationships we can deal with differences while making the most of areas where we agree.

“I’d like to say thanks for the spirit of friendship and cooperation that (Mr Sefcovic) brought into all our meetings and the level of trust that I was able to invest in our relationship I think is part of the reason we got the Windsor Framework over the line,” he said.

During a question session with Mr Cleverly and Mr Sefcovic, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey said: “Whilst one speaker after another congratulated each other on the Windsor Framework, there was a failure to recognise that the Windsor Framework fell short of what was promised to unionists.

“It was also an opportunity to remind the Partnership Assembly that progress has only ever been made in Northern Ireland when there was an agreement which unionists as well as nationalists could support.”

The DUP has repeatedly said there is no solid basis for the restoration of the power-sharing executive and assembly at Stormont until suitable arrangements are in place to restore Northern Ireland’s place within the UK’s internal market, and that “our constitutional arrangements” are respected.

“I would never have asked the [UK] government or Brussels to build border posts at the RoI/NI border.

“Of course, that’s where there already is a currency border, health service border, education border and taxation border but I have too much respect for my nationalist neighbours to ask them to start building border posts there.

“Sadly, there wasn’t the same level of respect reciprocated towards unionists.”

Sir Jeffrey added: “No nationalist with a scintilla of honesty can be surprised that unionists baulked at the idea of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.

“Sadly, some viewed the NI Protocol through their border poll advancing spectacles rather than the 20:20 vision of what is best for peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland.

“Northern Ireland is a divided society and therefore only a deal which is acceptable to all sides will enable progress.”

Meanwhile, TUV leader Jim Allister has called on Sir Jeffrey to address the “potential ambiguity” in his recent remarks to the NI Affairs Committee at Westminster.

“It is important to state clearly that the issue with the Union-dismantling protocol is not just the future threat to our trade into GB but the current and growing impediment of our trade from GB,” Mr Allister said.

“When Sir Jeffrey said the essence of what he was looking for is that ‘we can continue to have access to the internal market of the United Kingdom and the changes to either UK law or EU law will not inhibit our ability to trade within our own country,’ I trust he was not suggesting unionists can ever live with the inhibitions already imposed on GB/NI trade.”

In response, a DUP spokesman said: “There is no ambiguity about our position. Access to the internal market of the UK includes access to our supply chains in GB. After all we are an integral part of the UK internal market.

“Trade is a two-way process. This has always been an issue for the DUP and our proposals to the government reflect this.”