Statement by TUV East Londonderry candidate Jordan Armstrong:
“To claim as the DUP have done that the case for a border poll is dependent on the outcome of the DUP’s performance versus Sinn Fein is nonsense. It implies that other unionists’ and nationalists’ votes are meaningless. Don’t be fooled by this rhetoric, as it is merely the latest tactic to scare unionists into backing the DUP.
“A border poll can only be called when the Secretary of State deems that there is sufficient consensus to do so. It’s a decision for him and not one which any Unionist party should seek to outsource to Republicans in order to prop up their own campaign.
“What really matters is that the maximum number of Unionists are returned in the election next week. Voters can best do this by voting for the Unionist party of their choice and then transferring to other pro-Union, anti-Protocol candidates.
“No Unionist party should be in the business of talking up a border poll. The key question that both the DUP and UUP continue to dodge is – will they provide a stooge deputy to a Sinn Fein First Minister? TUV is clear that we will never elevate Republicans. Why are others so reluctant to come clean on the matter?”