- have not given up on the Union;
- repudiate a partitioning border in the Irish Sea;
- reject being governed by foreign laws we don’t make and can’t change;
- will not rest until Art 6 of the Acts of Union is reinstated;
- refuse to take the knee to Sinn Fein or EU rule.
With the DUP having to admit it didn’t tell the truth about its shady deal, only TUV/Reform UK stand firm and have credibility on these key constitutional issues.
By their vote electors will declare where they stand. They will now do so in the knowledge that the DUP lied to them about the DUP Donaldson Deal. It did not, as claimed, remove the sea border, end the flow of EU law, nor restore our place in the U.K. Now, the man whose fingerprints are all over the deal, Gavin Robinson, admits as much. What does that convey on the key questions of judgement and trust?
Voters are entitled to have honesty from those who seek their votes. Yet in recent hours the DUP was shamed into admitting they lied to the people. This raises a fundamental question of trust and who unionist voters should trust. Those who sought to mislead the people in February do not deserve their vote in July.
A real distinction between TUV/Reform UK and both DUP and UUP is that they, sadly, have, through their operation of and resulting support for the Protocol, accepted that the Union as we knew it is gone. That never again should NI be a fully integral part of the UK, but rather should be a condominium part ruled by U.K. laws and part by foreign EU laws. That’s what accepting the Windsor Framework and the dishonest Command Paper means.
Unionists were lied to by the DUP when told that the Command Paper ‘Safeguarding the Union’ removed the Irish Sea border and restored our place within the UK. It did neither. Rather it confirmed the partitioning border, the supremacy of EU law and our economic alignment with the Republic.
Partitioned and driven apart by the Irish Sea border and subjection to foreign EU laws, reunification of the United Kingdom and restoration of equal citizenship is the overriding demand of TUV/Reform UK.
We through our partnership with Reform UK embrace pan-unionism across the nation, believing that for too long Northern Ireland has been treated as a place apart and many unionist politicians have indulged in parochialism, even to the point of joining Sinn Fein in ‘Brit-bashing’.
The U.K. is our country. We want to play a full and equal part, caring about immigration, defence and our place in the world. Hence the TUV/Reform UK alignment offers involvement in national politics, taking a stand on key issues like protecting our borders, reversing the economic destruction of blind allegiance to ‘net zero’ and repudiating the woke agenda on transgenderism.
Our overriding mission is to restore the Union, so damaged by the betrayal of the Protocol and the ineptitude of rollover unionism.
On 4th July we invite unionists to Answer the Union’s call – vote TUV/Reform UK.
In that pursuit I now present to you our TUV/Reform U.K. candidates:
Before doing so I wish to comment on the absence of a candidate in Upper Bann.
TUV made plain at the start of the year that if there was a risk of Sinn Fein winning a unionist seat, then, we would calibrate our approach accordingly.
That is why Upper Bann is the one unionist held seat we have decided not to contest. The relative strength of Carla Lockhart’s stance contributed to this decision but the compelling reason was not to assist a Sinn Fein victory. We realise this decision will disappoint many TUV/Reform U.K. supporters in Upper Bann but we believe on this occasion it is in the interests of the greater good.
In Fermanagh & South Tyrone we sought to maximise the opportunity to regain that seat through an agreed non-party candidate. Sadly, that was vetoed. However, in keeping with the established tradition in that constituency we will not contest that seat.
Here then are our candidates:-
Starting with the constituency in which we meet, South Antrim, we have local livestock farmer and breeder, Mel Lucas.
In East Antrim we have Cllr Matthew Warwick, renowned Ulster Scots expert.
In North Antrim I will stand.
Moving to Belfast, former paratrooper John Ross will be the anti-Protocol voice in East Belfast.
In North Belfast Cllr David Clarke will stand.
In West Belfast our Party Secretary, Ann McClure, will be our standard-bearer.
And in South Belfast and Mid Down, I’m delighted to announce that the DUP’s former Director of Policy, Dr Dan Boucher, will stand.
In Lagan Valley Lorna Smyth, former servicewoman, will do battle for TUV/Reform UK.
In adjacent South Down former MLA Jim Wells will return to the fray.
In the north west our Party Vice-Chairman, Allister Kyle, will stand in East Londonderry.
Glenn Moore will be our standard-bearer in Mid Ulster.
In Newry and Armagh our Party Chairman, Cllr Keith Ratcliffe, will fight.
Finally, but certainly not least, I’m delighted that our Deputy Leader, Cllr Ron McDowell will stand in Strangford.
It is only the votes for this team which will truly count against the Protocol.
If we can yet find suitable candidates in West Tyrone and Foyle, then we will add them to the ticket.
Now ask Dr Boucher to come forward and explain both why he is standing and our plan for the replacement of the Protocol.