Statement by TUV spokesperson John Brennan:
“The comments of the Secretary of State this morning about the Northern Ireland Protocol make it clear that the Government is still not taking the concerns of Unionists serious. Mr Lewis, who until recently denied that the Sea Border even existed, is claiming that “we’ve got to make sure we make it work in a positive way for people in Northern Ireland”.
“We already know that the Protocol does not and cannot work “positively”. Even those who once called for its “rigorous implementation” are furiously backpedalling with Alliance claiming on a daily basis that they are looking for solutions to the problems they campaigned for.
“The most ardent reaminers cannot bury their heads in the sand when it comes to the mountain of evidence showing the devastating impact of the Protocol on Northern Ireland not just constitutionally but on jobs, opportunities, investment and consumer choice in this part of the UK.
“With a survey published yesterday showing that two thirds of retailers in Great Britain plan to stop selling to Northern Ireland by April the idea that there is any “positive” way for the Protocol to work is nonsense.
“It is imperative that Unionists take the action necessary to make London notice. As TUV made clear at the weekend, the judicial review instigated by Ben Habib, Baroness Hoey and Jim Allister is a useful tool in the fight against the Protocol but it is no substitute for sustained political action to derail it.
“We are today reiterating our call for all Unionists to use every means within their power to disrupt the Protocol. That means the Agriculture Minister refusing to staff the Sea Border. That means the suspension of all North South Ministerial Council activity until the East/West balance is restored. London and Brussels need to see concrete evidence that Unionism is serious and united in its opposition to the Protocol.”