Responding to the DUP’s Gregory Campbell, TUV vice chairman Allister Kyle said:
“Having destroyed Unionist unity by binning the united Unionist Declaration of Ulster Day 2021, in which all Unionist leaders pledged that it was their “unalterable position that the Protocol must be rejected and replaced by arrangements which fully respect Northern Ireland’s position as a constituent and integral part of the United Kingdom”, it’s a bit rich for Gregory Campbell to bemoan the divisions within Unionism and blame others.
“The fundamental point that Mr Campbell, who received a CBE in the immediate aftermath of the DUP deal which destroyed Unionist unity, ignores is that you can’t strengthen the Union by dividing the United Kingdom. Remember this is the same Mr Campbell who hailed the Safeguarding the Union paper as a great achievement by his party.
“Since then, we have had a judgement by the High Court exposing the fact that Northern Ireland must maintain an open-door policy to migrants because EU law, not UK law, is supreme in Northern Ireland.
“We know that Article Six of the Acts of Union remains suspended, meaning that our ability to trade freely with the rest of the UK is no more.
“We know that border posts between Northern Ireland and Great Britain continue to be built.
“Yet none of that bothers Mr Campbell. He is merely interested in attacking friends of Unionism in GB. Not so long ago, DUP politicians were positively keen to be on the same platform as Ben Habib, Baroness Hoey and yes, even Jim Allister.
“It isn’t TUV or Reform UK who changed their position on the Sea Border which divides our country.
“You cant strengthen the Union by dividing the United Kingdom.”