Northern Ireland Protocol: Leading Welsh Tory Dan Boucher to join DUP

Dr Dan Boucher was born in England but lives with his family in Swansea in Wales.

He stood for the Tories in 2017 General Election as the lead Conservative candidate in Wales and in the 2019 Euro-elections.

He is widely published and first spoke out about the impact of the Protocol on the union in an article on Comment Central in July.

This week Dan took, what for him was a very public stand against the Protocol and for the Union, by joining the DUP and announcing his intention to move to NI.

He is currently working on a book on the Protocol, Conservative thought and 21st Century unionism. In 2012 he suggested to DUP chairman Lord Morrow the private members bill that later became the Human Trafficking and Exploitation Act 2015.

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP said he was sorry to see Dan leaving the Conservative Party.

“The reason he has given - that the Northern Ireland Protocol is acting against the continuation of the Union of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - will resonate with many in the Conservative and Unionist Party. No less a figure than David Trimble, co-architect of the Belfast/Good Friday agreement and Nobel Peace Laureate has made it clear that he fears the Protocol is already damaging the agreement with terrible potential consequences. It is therefore critical that this problem of the dysfunctional Protocol is dealt with and that it is replaced by a system of Mutual Enforcement, before it is too late.

“That Dan has chosen to leave the Conservative Party because of this issue is a matter of regret but I hope it turns out well for him.”

• A platform piece from Dan explaining his thinking can be read here.

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