Statement by TUV Comber councillor Stephen Cooper:
“This morning TUV issued a statement warning that the DUP approach to North-South meetings was nonsense unless it was an unequivocal boycott of all such meetings unless and until our vital east/west links are fully restored.
“By lunchtime, the DUP leader had told a Stormont committee that “at no point” had he refused to attend North-South meetings.
“Tonight he has emerged from a meeting in Dublin with the Republic’s Prime Minister to say that he will attend a North-South meeting later in the month.
“Where is the DUP’s boast that the North-South dimension of the Belfast Agreement wouldn’t continue as normal while our East-West relationships are trashed?
“Such silly play-acting will do nothing to further Unionist aims.
“We are a world away from the serious, robust and sustained political action which is necessary to convince the outside world that Unionism is serious about taking a stand on the Protocol.
“Mr Poots can say North-South relations have never been worse as much as he likes, but the reality is that is our links with the rest of the U.K. are being hacked away while it would appear that the North-South arrangements can continue as normal.
“Unionism has lost patience with this duplicitous ambiguity.
“The time for talking out of both sides of the mouth is over; Mr Poots needs to get off the two horses and saddle up to real and true opposition to the Protocol and at the very least, have the backbone to desist from North-South meetings forthwith, and withdraw all staff manning the Sea Border.”