Sir Jeffrey Donaldson: Sinn Fein should be honest on border poll

The DUP leader questioned why Sinn Fein is now telling the Northern Ireland electorate that their priority for the election is the cost-of-living crisis.

Speaking during a visit to Londonderry, Sir Jeffrey said: “Only two weeks ago they were happy to talk about their divisive border poll plan in Washington and New York to Senators and Congressmen.

“Why does Sinn Fein not want to talk about their divisive border poll plans in Northern Ireland? The people of NI deserve honesty from SF and its leaders.”

Sir Jeffrey was in Londonderry and the North-West region to support DUP candidates in the city and the wider area.

He called on all unionists in Londonderry city to rally around the DUP’s Gary Middleton whom the DUP leader described as “the only candidate who can win a seat in the Foyle constituency”.

He added: “There is one unionist seat in this city. A divided unionist vote could leave us with no unionist representative.”

On the DUP’s Five Point Plan to regenerate the Province’s economy and fix the local NHS, Sir Jeffrey said his party’s proposals can deliver for the North-West region.

“I stand foresquare behind the campaign for better infrastructure in this region. We need a high-speed, regular train service running between not just our two main cities but a connection running all the way through to the other cities on this island too, as envisaged under the Union Connectivity Review.

“I want to see better air connectivity too. It was a DUP department that supported North-West air connectivity with Great Britain by part funding, alongside the Department for Transport, for the City of Derry Airport to London route until the end of March 2023. We will continue to work with all three local airports to attract new routes and provide marketing support to improve our potential.”

The DUP leader said his party’s Five Point Plan aims to grow the economy and create 20,000 new jobs in the next five but this extra employment must be shared across all parts of Northern Ireland.

Sir Jeffrey continued: “The outcome of this election will be vital for the future of Northern Ireland and will determine whether we focus on growing our economy, delivering jobs and investing in our infrastructure, or whether we face months and years of instability, focusing on a divisive border poll.”