Statement by TUV Cusher councillor Keith Ratcliffe:
“Many in the Unionist community appreciated Suella Braverman’s stand against the weekly hate marches in London which have repeatedly seen calls for the mass murder of Jews in the Middle East. In a time when many retreat into identity politics it is also telling that the former Home Secretary never sought to use her Jewish husband in the debate about what has been happening on the streets of our capital. It was my belief on Monday that the Prime Minister had made a monumental mistake in sacking her and that view has only been reinforced in light of the letter published yesterday.
“Tellingly, Mrs Braverman highlights the fact that Rishi Sunak welshed on a commitment to “deliver the Northern Ireland Protocol … Bill in [its] existing form and timetable”.
“As former DUP deputy leader Lord Dodds has observed rather than doing so he accepted a border in the Irish Sea and expects Unionists to merely do likewise. I trust that Lord Dodds’ “no chance” response reflects the position of his leader.
“It is long past time that Unionists stopped pretending that this government is serious about addressing our concerns. Northern Ireland needs governed. Constitutionally government can only be provided from one of two places – Westminster or Stormont. If the government is going to insist on the Protocol for now then let them get on with making the decisions which need to be made in other areas as well instead of dishonesty blaming the absence of devolution.
“If and when the Government gets serious about addressing the constitutional vandalism it has done to the Acts of Union then Unionists could perhaps consider whether Stormont should return. Not before. Unionism has unitedly made it clear that it will not accept the Protocol in its solemn declaration of Ulster Day 2021.”