Unionists hit back over DUP leader's swipe at his 'unelected detractors' following milestone vote in Stormont this week

Meanwhile Moore Holmes – an unelected loyalist activist behind many of the anti-Protocol rallies in the Province – emphasised the entitlement of fellow unionists to criticise the party, saying that “people cannot be reasonably expected to look the other way if claims made by the DUP hierarchy are demonstrably false”.

On Tuesday something called an "applicability motion" was brought before MLAs.It concerned a new law which the EU wants to see extended to Northern Ireland.

The law itself is a rather technical set of regulations about “non-agricultural geographic indicator” labelling – but the main thing for unionists was not its contents, but the fact the EU wants to impose it on a Province that was meant to have left the EU years ago.

The "applicability motion" is different from – but rather similar to – the better-known "Stormont brake".

It is something the DUP says only exists because of the firmness it showed in resisting calls to return to Stormont for so long.

In short, an "applicability motion" means that the NI Assembly gets to debate and vote on the adoption of any new EU law.

A 'yes' vote can only come if there is support from both unionists and nationalists – and on Tuesday, every single unionist opposed the new law.

But that's not the end of it. The UK government can decide to over-rule Stormont's unionists if it wants.

Online unionist voices such as Jamie Bryson were heavily critical of the proceedings, saying it doesn't change the fact the DUP has "surrendered" to the Protocol.

Sir Jeffrey hit back.

"Some of our unelected detractors in unionism are getting increasingly desperate," he said.

"Despite the fact all unionist MLAs voted with us today, bizarrely these unelected detractors criticise the right of Stormont to vote against the application of EU law.

"Yet without Stormont these EU regulations would automatically become law!

"Of course the real reason they are peeved is because today destroys the myth they have propagated that nothing has changed.

"If we followed their failed strategy we couldn’t do anything about EU law."

Unelected unionist Ben Habib, leader of the insurgent Reform Party in GB which is seeking to take votes from conservative voters who feel let down by the Tories, lamented the DUP's decision to "celebrate" the applicability motion.

"The fact they were forced to invoke the motion/ brake yesterday was a sad day for unionism and something about which the DUP should be ashamed, not proud," he said.

"Indeed, such a brake would not be needed if new EU law did not apply in Northern Ireland. That it exists evidences there is a regulatory border between Great Britian and Northern Ireland.

"No matter how many times the DUP falsely claims the border has gone, will not make it gone.

"The other inconvenient fact ignored by the DUP is that their deal with HMG cements in place the thousands of EU laws and regulations foisted on Northern Ireland by the Protocol.

"The brake has no effect on these or indeed the thousands of new regulations and laws which are bound to slip through."

Meanwhile Mr Holmes told the News Letter: “People are entitled to voice their opinion on what the DUP deal has and has not delivered.

"Most Unionists appreciate the need for unity and co-operation, especially in Westminster elections, however that unity cannot come at the expense of accountability or suppressing any legitimate difference of opinion.

"People cannot be reasonably expected to look the other way if claims made by the DUP hierarchy are demonstrably false.

"That is a real problem for the DUP and frequent bickering with other unionists, elected or otherwise, will not make it go away.

"What is needed is a bit more humility on all sides. The DUP are not traitors, and they are certainly still Unionists, but the deal [to restore Stormont] evidently falls short of their electoral promises.

" Pretending otherwise, like ludicrously claiming that the Irish Sea Border is gone, only adds insult to injury."