Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:-
“The EU’s letter only underscores the Prime Minister’s impotence. She promised legally binding change. She got nothing. Warm words don’t cut it or alter one iota the harsh text of the Withdrawal Agreement and its pernicious Backstop.
“Indeed, it is clear from this letter that far from ameliorating the Backstop into the future, the EU is determined to replicate its same destructive principles in any ultimate settlement. The fourth substantive paragraph of the letter makes that plain.
“As I’ve previously said, “It is not just that the Backstop itself is toxic, but, because it can only be replaced at the EU’s pleasure, its tenets and principles will inevitably become the template for any replacement, guaranteeing that any replacement would be equally destructive of Northern Ireland’s position within the United Kingdom.
“Hence, the necessity of ensuring the Backstop is stillborn. Otherwise, we will be saddled with the annexation of Northern Ireland as a EU territory in perpetuity.
“Once the EU is given a veto on our escape from the Backstop it is self-evident nothing less pernicious will ever be permitted by Brussels, or Dublin. So, it is no exaggeration to say that the survival of Northern Ireland, as an integral part of the UK and its economy, is now dependent on rejection of the Backstop. It is as simple as that. This, I believe, is the reality that most unionists get.”