Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:-
“The resignation of David Davis is welcome in that it signifies at least one member of the Cabinet is declining to buy the sell out on Brexit that was the Chequers ‘agreement’.
“At the heart of the Chequers declaration was a huge capitulation on the key issue at the heart of ‘taking back control’. By agreeing to accept the EU’s rule book in respect of the trading of goods and in respect of agri produce, Mrs May has surrendered to Brussels control. The essence of a vassal state is to agree to apply another’s rule book, which is interpreted by another’s court. The pretence that Parliament could still reject such rules is evidently illusionary and would never be exercisable in practice.
“Moreover, it is inevitable that a Prime Minister and cabinet of such a supplicant mindset will make even further concessions in negotiations in their pandering to a belligerent EU. So, now is the time for any cabinet minister of any Brexit principle to stand up and be counted.
“From the Northern Ireland perspective I am concerned that the Chequers declaration – though the wording is obtuse – signals a willingness to accept the disastrous EU legal text on the ‘backstop’. The wording of the White Paper on this issue should further clarify the matter.”