Sir Jeffrey Donaldson's plea to voters: let us finish the job

As he canvassed with DUP council election candidates in the Causeway Coast & Glens, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said that while his party was able to get the European Union back to the negotiating table in relation to the NI Protocol problems, more still has to be done.​

“Whilst we have made progress, we can only finish the job by securing a strong mandate,” he said.

“There are people in London, Dublin, Washington and Brussels with their eyes focused on the DUP’s performance in this council election. A victory will strengthen our hand to finish the job, but any other outcome will be used by the government as an excuse to dither and delay.

“In February 2022, we took a stand and withdrew our first minister because we could see the foundations of power-sharing were being eroded by the NI Protocol and the government was failing to act.

“The protocol upset the delicate political balance in Northern Ireland and was not supported by the unionist community.

“When others said there would be no renegotiation and no change, our determination has proved what can be achieved. By unionism standing together, giving us the electoral strength, we were able to bring the European Union back to the table. That was an incredible achievement and should not be overlooked.

“Whilst welcoming progress, we have carefully assessed the Windsor Framework and taken time to consult the wider public through the establishment of a panel to hear the views of stakeholders across Northern Ireland.

“The DUP is the only unionist party large enough to challenge Sinn Fein.

“On May 18 unionists have a clear choice. They can back the Democratic Unionist Party candidates and strengthen our hand as we seek to finish the job of restoring Northern Ireland’s place in the United Kingdom or unionism can divide and splinter, costing seats in our councils and gifting greater influence to those who would further weaken the Union.

“Drawing together all the strands of people who are pro-Union is not easy but the consequence of allowing unionism to continue fracturing will be a Northern Ireland led by Sinn Fein whose goal is to remove us from the United Kingdom.

“Now is not the time for more division. Our goal has been and remains to strengthen the pro-Union voice in Northern Ireland. Growing the support for our cause must be the ongoing objective.

“At this election vote to strengthen our hand and ensure unionism speaks with a strong and united voice.”