Below are some extracts from Jim Allister’s speech:
“The fact the DUP has become Protocol implementers does not alter the legal and constitutional realities that the Union is being dismantled, though that process is, of course, made easier when unionists volunteer to inflict such damage on themselves. That is the real difference the DUP’s return to Stormont has made – not only has the leverage to force change been surrendered, but the Union-dismantling Protocol delivery is now under Stormont ownership. Well done Jeffrey!…”
”To crown it all, they enthroned SF .. they tell us no alternative, just as FM tells us there was no alternative to the murder… that is the moral equivalence maze into which the DUP has entered and in which its ministers are deliriously happy doing Caile jigs and playing hurling. Having enthroned Michelle O’Neill as FM, she has gone on tour with her unelected Lady in Waiting in tow.
“Let’s be very clear: having fought not one, but two, elections on rejection of the Protocol, the DUP has no mandate for its return to Stormont and its somersault into Protocol implementers.
”There ought to have been a fresh Assembly election. Having run away from that, however, they must face the electorate in the General Election. That is where their acceptance of the Irish Sea border, EU law, the suspension of Art 6 and, yes, their fawning acceptance of Sinn Fein rule, will hit the road.
“Unionists, who still refuse to take the knee to the Union-dismantling Protocol, must have the opportunity to have their say, remembering a Protocol implementer is a Protocol implementer whatever his party label!
”I am therefore delighted to announce TUV’s partnership with Reform U.K. in the upcoming election.
“Like TUV, Reform UK speaks its mind, takes on the establishment and is driven by principle, not power. Our principles are neither optional nor for sale, but they are the stuff of conviction politics. We speak truth to power. Unfamiliar as it is in today’s political world, Reform UK and TUV are parties you can trust! Trust to say what they mean. Trust to stand firm. Trust not to rollover.
“Today we will formally endorse a joint platform by publicly signing a Memorandum of Understanding and going forward we will announce agreed candidates from both parties across constituencies.
“The 6 principles of the agreed platform are as follows:-
- upholding and strengthening the Union between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, including the full restoration of Art 6 of the Act(s) of Union;
- equal rights for all citizens within the United Kingdom;
- rejection of the Irish Sea border and the subjection of Northern Ireland to EU law and the ECJ;
- the completion of a full Brexit so that the United Kingdom in all its parts enjoys full independence and economic freedom;
- robust immigration system and controls;
- a taxation system, both personal and commercial, which rewards effort.
”These are the core values which unite us and on which voters will be given a choice. They are the values that epitomise our Union and vision. While others are in alliance with those whose mission is to tear down our Union and our Britishness, Reform U.K./TUV are the bulwark against such betrayal.
“And, let me be clear the dividers of unionism are those who tore up the United unionist platform of unalterable opposition to the Protocol.
“On 28th September 2021 all the leaders of unionism signed this solemn pledge:-
“We, the undersigned Unionist Political Leaders, affirm our opposition to the NI Protocol, its mechanisms and structures and reaffirm our unalterable position that the Protocol must be rejected and replaced by arrangements which fully respect NI’s position as a constituent and integral part of the United Kingdom.”
“That is where we still stand. It is those who have somersaulted to be Protocol implementers which have brought division to unionism. Any consequences are of their making.
“This will be a rollcall election for unionists who have not given up on the Union, to whom the Union in all its parts is the be all and end all of our political purpose. A rollcall of those who repudiate a partitioning border in the Irish Sea. A rollcall of democrats who reject being governed by foreign laws we don’t make and can’t change. A rollcall of unionists who will not rest until Art 6 of the Acts of Union is reinstated. And a rollcall of unionists who refuse to take the knee to Sinn Fein or EU rule.
”Together we can do it, let the battle begin!”
Here is the Memorandum of Understanding between Reform UK and TUV:
Memorandum of Understanding
between
Reform UK and TUV
It is hereby agreed that for the purpose of the upcoming General Election Reform UK and TUV shall cooperate in providing and mutually supporting candidates in Northern Ireland on the basis of the following common platform:
- upholding and strengthening the Union between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, including the full restoration of Art 6 of the Act(s) of Union;
- equal rights for all citizens within the United Kingdom;
- rejection of the Irish Sea border and the subjection of Northern Ireland to EU law and the ECJ;
- the completion of a full Brexit so that the United Kingdom in all its parts enjoys full independence and economic freedom;
- robust immigration system and controls;
- a taxation system, both personal and commercial, which rewards effort.
In all other matters the two parties may develop and advance their own policies in accordance with their ideological outlook.
Any MPs elected will operate in pursuit of this agreement under a common Whip.
Moreover, going forward, Reform UK and TUV will collaborate in joint political ventures with a view to advancing our shared vision of strengthening the links and political integration of all parts of the United Kingdom. An inclusive rather than disparate United Kingdom is our goal.
Dated 16th March 2024
Richard Tice, Leader of Reform UK.
Jim Allister, Leader of TUV