Sunak support for DUP's east-west council plan to strengthen the Union

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson argued for the idea at his party's conference at the weekend.

Sir Jeffrey told his party he has proposed the idea to "bring together representatives from across the United Kingdom", which he said could then meet on a "regular basis to discuss and collaborate on opportunities for enhanced co-operation".

The DUP leader put the idea to Rishi Sunak at Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons on Wednesday.

Sir Jeffrey said: "Having left the European Union, building links and cooperation across the four nations of our United Kingdom can only strengthen the Union.

"Will the Prime Minister agree with my proposal for the creation of an east-west council to bring together all parts of the UK family to discuss and collaborate on the trading and any other opportunities presented by the Union?"

Mr Sunak responded: "(Sir Jeffrey) made a powerful case in his conference speech last weekend for a strong functioning Northern Ireland within our Union.

"The Secretary of State has had the opportunity to discuss our shared commitment to the Union with his party over recent weeks and months, and I'm grateful for the constructive approach and tone taken in those discussions.

"I think there is considerable merit in the idea of a new east-west council to further strengthen the Union, and I look forward to exploring the issue with him and his colleagues further."

The TUV has said it supports the idea of a new body to enhance trade within the UK, and claimed the DUP proposal is “extremely similar” to a TUV manifesto pledge.

However, a TUV spokesman also said that any form of intertrade UK body is “no substitute for replacing the [NI] Protocol”.

He said: “The suggestion of an east-west council to discuss collaboration on trade is nothing new. As far back as December 2020 Jim Allister proposed the creation of an InterTradeUK body to protect east/west trade.

"In January 2021 TUV published a detailed policy document outlining how such a body would function and we have included reference to the body in every manifesto since.

“The DUP response to this suggestion was previously lukewarm, but now it appears that they have adopted the policy or at least something extremely similar.”

The spokesman added: “That said, it is important to stress that the establishment of an Intertrade UK body or east-west form is no substitute to replacing the Protocol.

"In making these suggestions in the past TUV has always been clear that regardless of the establishment of such a body, the barriers created by the Protocol must be removed.”

The spokesman went on to say: "Having found common ground with TUV on establishing the body we suggested it would be good to have similar clarity from the DUP that they are equally clear that an Intertrade UK body/east-west forum would not address the fundamental constitutional issues created by the Protocol.”