TUV hits back at Jeffrey Donaldson: 'We owe no apologies for pointing out dangers of Protocol'

In it, party leader Jim Allister said that he owes Sir Jeffrey and his party no apology whatsoever.

• Uncut footage: Angry and emotional Sir Jeffrey Donaldson erupts in House of Commons in defence of his and DUP's records as unionists - saying that loyalists are being stirred up by TUV

"Whoever gets angry over our principled stand – and that of grassroots unionism – TUV has no apology to make for keeping the focus, and getting others to focus, on the dire constitutional consequences of the Union-dismantling Protocol,” he said.

"Indeed, when the DUP was voting in the Assembly to accept 45 EU laws (on December 8 2020) and building the Poots Posts, and when Sir Jeffrey was proclaiming customs checks posed no constitutional threat, it was TUV that called them out.

"We will not hesitate to do so again if the DUP backslides into becoming Protocol implementers.

"Our mission is to ensure they don’t, but if they do, then we will not be deterred from continuing to tell the truth about the iniquitous Protocol."

Meanwhile, also reacting to Sir Jeffrey’s speech was the Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, who called the individuals who threatened the DUP leader “cowards and idiots”, and their actions “a disgrace”.

Also speaking during the Commons session was Tory MP Julian Smith, a former holder of Mr Heaton-Harris’ current post.

He said Mr Donaldson “seem to have negotiated… a very good deal with the government on issues around the Windsor Framework, and I hope within the coming days and weeks we’ll be able to see the results of that work”.

He added that “this will not be perfect”, but “for unionism generally, being in the devolved Assembly is the key route to making the case for the Union”.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood rose to tell the House that he agrees with Sir Jeffrey Donaldson about very little – “in fact he kind of drives me crazy” – but that the DUP leader “comes at this from a position of strong beliefs [and] from an attempt to represent his constituents”.

"I do say this very clearly – those people who have threatened him today couldn’t lace his boots, and every single democrat in this House or elsewhere should stand in solidarity with any of us who are being attacked like that.”