UUP 'fundamentally wrong' in their 'disappointing, if not entirely surprising' response to Windsor Framework, insists TUV leader Jim Allister

And Mr Allister added that the Ulster Unionists were "fundamentally wrong" to believe that a return to powersharing could secure further changes.

Earlier today, Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie said while further reforms are necessary, the Windsor Framework represents an important stepping stone in resolving Brexit trading relationships.

“The Ulster Unionist Party see the framework as a stepping stone towards achieving a lasting solution to the many issues and challenges with our post-Brexit trading relationship with both Great Britain and the European Union,” he said. “The Stormont brake offers Northern Ireland politicians a unique say in EU laws that may affect this part of the UK due to our access to the single market, but important points of legal and technical clarification still remain outstanding. ”

He added: “The Irish Sea Border has not gone, there remains issues with the VAT and state aid rules. It’s clear that questions around moribund EU laws remain and significant points of clarity surrounding the red and green lanes have yet to be answered. These are where we must focus our efforts in the short term in order to get clarity and find solutions.”

Mr Beattie highlighted the importance of the Stormont Assembly in dealing with the framework moving forward: “The simple fact is that without a functioning devolved government we cannot address either the opportunities or deal with the challenges of the Windsor Framework.”

‘Windsor Whitewash’

The TUV leader said he was disappointed by the UUP response to what he called the "Windsor Whitewash".

In a statement, Mr Allister said: “The UUP endorsement of the Windsor Framework is disappointing, if not entirely surprising - given that party’s demonstrable failure to grasp the constitutional significance of the EU sovereignty grab at the heart of the Protocol.

“The fact that under the Withdrawal Agreement the Windsor Framework could not alter the “essential elements” of the Protocol means it is mere tinkering which Doug Beattie is welcoming.

“But where the UUP is fundamentally wrong is to believe that restoration of Stormont affords the opportunity to secure further changes. On the contrary, as is emphatically clear from the High Court judgement in Rooney-v-Poots, any Executive must by law implement the Protocol and its Irish Sea border. So, to restore Stormont is to enforce the Union-dismantling Protocol. That is a price no unionist - UUP or DUP - should pay, now or in the future.”