Boris Johnson’s leadership has been disastrous for unionism in Northern Ireland, says TUV

TUV leader Jim Allister has described Boris Johnson’s tenure as Prime Minister as “disastrous” for unionism.

Mr Allister said that the outgoing Prime Minister’s original embrace of the Northern Ireland Protocol resulted in not all of the UK leaving the EU.

“With the introduction of the Protocol ensuring that far from securing Brexit for the entire nation, he has left Northern Ireland subject to EU writ and partition from the rest of the UK.”

In a message to the DUP and its current position of no powersharing until the Protocol is gone, the North Antrim MLA added: “With Westminster in a state of flux, it is more imperative than ever that unionism holds firm in using Stormont leverage against the iniquitous Protocol.”

Meanwhile a millionaire Belfast businessman who resigned as chairman of the Northern Ireland Conservatives last year has revealed he rejoined the Tories shortly after Boris Johnson announced he was stepping down as Prime Minister.

Alan Dunlop told the News Letter he signed up for Tory membership only after the party edged Mr Johnson out of 10 Downing Street.

“I was turned off rejoining the Conservatives because the Prime Minister and party leader lacked integrity and I did not want to be tainted by his record in office.

“But once he resigned I got on the computer, applied to join on-line and paid my membership fee,” Mr Dunlop said.

The one-time owner of the biggest steel-importing business on the island declined to say who he would support as the next leader as he wouldn’t be to able to vote in the Tory leadership election as you have to be a party member for three months before qualifying to join that electorate.