The Brexit protocol has damaged Northern Ireland’s relationship with Great Britain, the new leader of the DUP has said in his first interview since taking office.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson called on Boris Johnson to recognise the protocol has harmed Northern Ireland’s constitutional position in the United Kingdom.
The Northern Ireland protocol grants Northern Ireland access to UK and EU markets, but necessitates checks on goods arriving in Northern Ireland from Great Britain.
Sir Jeffrey said there would be “opportunities going forward” from the protocol but they are currently inaccessible because of “unnecessary barriers” down the Irish Sea.
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He told Sky News on Sunday: “At the heart of the Belfast or Good Friday Agreement are our three sets of relationships, and there’s a very delicate balance within that agreement as to how those relationships are managed.
“One of the key relationships is that between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
“The agreement is very clear. The principle of consent protects the rights of the people of Northern Ireland to determine their constitutional status.
Undermined and destabilised
“When you harm one of those relationships, you harm all of them by extension.
“That’s exactly what we’ve seen happening because our relationship with Great Britain has been harmed by this protocol.
“So too our relationship with the Republic of Ireland has been harmed, and indeed it has undermined and destabilised relationships within Northern Ireland itself.
“We’ve seen that even on our streets. So it is imperative for all of us that we resolve these issues.”
The protocol is deeply unpopular with unionists – represented in Northern Ireland by the DUP – as it creates a trade border between Northern Ireland and Great Britain and means EU rules governing trade in goods still apply in the region.
Asked why protesting loyalists should trust Mr Johnson to deliver on the issue, after he negotiated and signed up to the protocol, Sir Jeffrey said the Prime Minister should be given a “second chance”.
“I’m prepared to give the Prime Minister an opportunity now to put right what was done wrong to Northern Ireland under the protocol,” he said.
“I believe there are opportunities going forward. But we can’t get to those opportunities because of these unnecessary barriers.
“We need to restore Northern Ireland’s place within the UK, both the market and constitutionally.”
On Wednesday the EU announced a number of solutions to ease the implementation of the protocol.
Following a request from the British Government, it extended the grace period on chilled meats entering Northern Ireland from the UK, averting the so-called “sausage war” trade dispute, at least temporarily.
In a joint article in the Irish Times on Saturday, Lord Frost, a Brexit minister, and Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland Secretary, said the extension was “welcome” but added that it “addresses only a small part of the underlying problem”.
They warned the deal risks “damage” to the Good Friday Agreement, which in 1998 helped to secure peace after decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland, unless a “new balance” is found in terms of customs checks.