‘I mean, what?! Republicans must be laughing their heads off!’ – Reg Empey slams DUP over Protocol dealings

Specifically, the UUP grandee said that the DUP’s main threat over the Protocol – namely, that it will collapse Stormont unless it is satisfied with any new arrangements – only brings with it problems of its own.

Sir Reg said that, first and foremost, the UUP has long viewed the idea of pulling down the government amid a pandemic as a “mistake”.

But this would cause other headaches – such as risking control of Northern Ireland falling into the hands of the Tory government in London, who were responsible for creating the Protocol in the first place.

On the other hand, it could spark an election, which may well see Sinn Fein emerge as the strongest party.

Sir Reg (who is a former leader of the Ulster Unionists and key figure in the Good Friday Agreement negotiations) told the News Letter: “On the 100th anniversary of the formation of Northern Ireland, the major card that’s on the table from unionism is to bring down the very parliament that unionists actually were celebrating in centenary.

“I mean, what?! Republicans must be laughing their heads off. We’re just making fools of ourselves.”

When it comes to the DUP blowing past its self-imposed timetable of the end of October for movement on the Protocol, Sir Reg believes it “may very well be that behind the scenes they had nods and winks and thought they were going toget something, and it didn’t happen”.

He added: “People are effectively being misled into believing these talks are about replacing the Protocol. They are not.

“Whatever comes out of it – and it may come out before Christmas perhaps – will not be the removal of the Protocol.

“It’ll simply be adjustments to the implementation of the Protocol.

“Our rules and laws will continue to be made by a foreign power, and they will have jurisdiction.”

As a measure of how deeply NI is enmeshed in the EU, Sir Reg suspects (but is not yet certain) that the changes to alcohol duty announced last week in chancellor Rishi Sunak’s budget will not in fact end up applying in Northern Ireland, because the Province cannot “deviate” from being essentially part of the EU’s Single Market.

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