Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:-
“Sir Jeffrey Donaldson proclaims a great Deal, but won’t debate it with me. Why? If it’s so good, why doesn’t he take the opportunity to wipe the floor with me?
“Instead he adopts the childish, playground refrain: look what I’ve got, what have you got?
“Of course, the truth is that TUV was deliberately excluded from all talks and invitations from the Secretary of State. So, his taunt is trite and a feeble attempt to divert attention from his obvious abandonment of core unionist demands.
“Here are the realities of his threadbare deal:-
- NI remains wholly under the EU Customs Code which decrees GB a third/foreign country in terms of trade – that is of massive constitutional detriment.
- NI continues to be treated as EU territory.
- Customs posts continue to be built at our ports to checks goods coming from GB, including all raw materials for NI manufacturing and processing.
- EU laws by the hundred continue to apply unabated in NI while ECJ oversight is untouched, with ministers required by law to implement these foreign laws we don’t make and can’t change.
- To use the ‘green lane’ you still must belong to a Trusted Trader Scheme to trade in your own country and complete paperwork.
- Articles 6 of the Act(s) of Union remains in suspension.
- Not one word of the Protocol has changed nor has any EU law been disapplied.”