'Propaganda is colliding with facts': Lord Dodds rubbishes assurances from the government that Northern Ireland's place in the Union is as secure as ever

​The former long-standing North Belfast MP, now Lord Dodds of Duncairn, was speaking in the House of Lords tonight after the second of two government statements designed to mollify his party by re-affirming Northern Ireland’s place in the UK.

He was joined in his criticism by veteran party figure Lord McCrea.

The government’s attempt at reassurance took the form of a proposed “humble address”.

This involves asking Parliament to agree on an official statement to sent to the King – in this case, a statement emphasising the UK’s sovereignty over the Province, despite the effects of the Northern Ireland Protocol / Windsor Framework.

One statement was read in the Commons on Monday, and another was read in the Lords last night by senior Tory Lord Caine.

This proposed a “humble address” to the King would:

"Re-affirm the importance of upholding the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement 1998 in all its strands;

"Acknowledge the foundational importance of the Acts of Union 1800, including the economic provisions under article 6 of those acts;

"And recognise that, consistent with section 23(1) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, executive power in Northern Ireland shall continue to be vested in His Majesty, and that joint authority is not provided for in the Belfast Agreement in respect of the UK and Irish governments.”

However, Kate Hoey sought to add an amendment to the humble address.

This lamented that, despite the government’s rhetoric, the Protocol still continues to “over-ride and suspend" parts of the Acts of Union.

When Lord Dodds rose to address the house he told fellow peers he supported the amendment, because what Baroness Hoey had said was “purely factual… and adds the reality of the situation to the humble address”.

Lord Dodds went on to tell the House: “This just isn't about trade matters or the economy; it's a matter of our birthright, our citizenship, our identity…

"It's because we value the Union so much that I come to today's debate with such a sense of concern, because my Lords the humble address before your lordships’ house today is part of the ‘reassurance package’, if you'd call it that, promised by the government to unionists.”

However he added that “the reality” is whilst the government’s language is positive, the deal which it had presented to the DUP to get Stormont resurrected – a deal leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson had accepted – “still retains the protocol / Windsor Framework with all its inherent anti-unionist contents”.

"This is where the words collide with reality – where propaganda collides with the facts,” he said.

“There's nothing in the humble address which actually changes anything in relation to Northern Ireland or which undoes the damage done to our constitutional position as part of the UK by the Protocol.”

He went on to say “hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of EU laws” still apply to Northern Ireland, without any ability of voters to influence them.

Lord McCrea then rose to tell the house that the UK government had tried to “pull the wool over the eyes of unionists” with the Windsor Framework.

"The government has now got the Northern Ireland Assembly up and running and personally I believe that is all they really cared about but those who are unionists by conviction must constantly hold this government’s feet to the fire,” he said.

In the end the government’s humble address passed unamended, after Baroness Hoey withdrew her amendment.

"My Lords we would be foolish to accept mere promises or empty rhetoric from this government, recognising that successive governments have broken promises to the people of Northern Ireland in the past…

"I believe that through the determined efforts of my colleagues some important changes have been made [to the Protocol /Windsor Framework] but a few words in a humble address to his majesty will not undo the serious damage that has been done to our constitutional position within the Union."

He concluded that “we must honestly admit there is so much more work to be done to arrest the undermining of the Union”.