TUV leader Jim Allister has warned that the Backstop must be defeated not only because of what he terms it’s “toxic” content, but because, if it ever comes into effect, anything that is allowed by the EU to replace it will be formed in the same “destructive image”.
In a statement Jim Allister said:-
“It is not just that the Backstop itself is toxic, but, because it can only be replaced at the EU’s pleasure, its tenets and principles will inevitably become the template for any replacement, guaranteeing that any replacement would be equally destructive of Northern Ireland’s position within the United Kingdom.
“Hence, the necessity of ensuring the Backstop is stillborn. Otherwise, we will be saddled with the annexation of Northern Ireland as a EU territory in perpetuity.
“Once the EU is given a veto on our escape from the Backstop it is self evident nothing less pernicious will ever be permitted by Brussels, or Dublin. So, it is no exaggeration to say that the survival of Northern Ireland, as an integral part of the UK and its economy, is now dependent on rejection of the Backstop. It is as simple as that. This, I believe, is the reality that most unionists get.”