Impassioned speech by Sir Jeffrey Donaldson on the Union, House of Commons, January 24, 2024
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00:00 >> Sir Geoffrey Dawes (South Swindon) (Lab) I thank the right hon. Member for South Swindon
00:09 for his comments and wish him well in his ongoing work as Chair of the Northern Ireland
00:16 Affairs Committee, which is very important. I also say to the hon. Member for St Helens
00:26 North, who is not in his place, that we recognise that, with the pressures on our public services
00:35 at this time, we want to get to a place where we will see our political institutions restored
00:43 on a sustainable basis and, as the Shadow Secretary of State reminded us, on a basis
00:51 that unionists as well as nationalists can support. That principle of cross-community
00:58 consensus is at the heart of the Belfast and successor agreements, and it is the key element
01:07 and principle that enables those institutions to operate in what remains a divided society
01:14 in Northern Ireland.
01:17 To be absolutely clear, the Democratic Unionist Party supports devolution. We support the
01:28 concept of the people of Northern Ireland being able to elect their representatives
01:34 and to have good government delivered through those institutions—the Northern Ireland
01:41 Assembly and the Northern Ireland Executive. We are therefore very clear that our objective
01:48 is twofold. Firstly, to address the issues and problems created by the Northern Ireland
01:54 protocol as part of the Withdrawal Agreement of 2019-20, and to provide the basis for the
02:03 restoration of our political institutions.
02:09 We are approaching the two-year mark now, since my party took the decision to withdraw
02:14 the First Minister. That precipitated a process that ultimately resulted in the institutions
02:23 not being able to function. That was not a decision we took lightly. For months in advance
02:32 of that decision, I made clear—my party made clear—that we wanted to see a negotiating
02:38 process underway between the Government of the United Kingdom and the European Union
02:43 to address the very real problems created by the protocol. Sadly, those pleas were ignored.
02:53 There was no process. In fact, we were told variously by Irish Government Ministers, EU
03:01 representatives and so on that the protocol would not be renegotiated.
03:07 I stand today and recognise that, as a result of the actions my party has taken, the EU
03:15 was brought back to the table, there were negotiations, changes have occurred and further
03:23 change will come as a result of our actions. As I watched the political discourse back
03:31 home in Northern Ireland, I listened to the commentary of some who share our concerns
03:38 about the protocol and its impact on Northern Ireland, but who at this moment in time are
03:46 talking up that some deal has been done, that clearly they think they know the detail and
03:56 that it falls short of what they need or require.
04:01 But I will say this, Mr Deputy Speaker. My party can stand over its record of the change
04:08 we have delivered and will deliver. I say to those who point the finger at us, "What
04:14 have you delivered?" What has the traditional Unionist Voice party delivered by way of change
04:23 to the protocol? Absolutely nothing. Not a single thing. Nothing. Yet they put up posters
04:33 in the dark of the night before any deal has been done, talking about a sell-out. What
04:42 have they sold? What have they delivered for the people of Northern Ireland? What has been
04:48 their contribution to securing the change that we need to restore our place in the United
04:55 Kingdom and its internal market?
05:00 We read lots of other pearls of wisdom on social media about what is needed and what
05:06 is required. We hear all kinds of speculation from the commentators about what has been
05:13 agreed despite the fact that they have not seen the detail. There is undoubtedly an attempt
05:25 to orchestrate opposition to a deal that has not yet taken place, an agreement that has
05:31 not yet concluded. The very fact that we are sat here today in this House of Commons extending
05:38 legislation reflects the fact and the reality that no agreement has yet been reached. If
05:46 it were, we would not be here. Yet there are some who, for their own narrow purposes, are
05:55 putting it about that certain things have been agreed, that it is all there and they
05:59 know what it is. They are entitled to their view. Everyone is entitled to their perspective.
06:09 But I say this. Wait until an agreement is reached before you make your final verdict.
06:18 Assess the progress that has been made before you reach your conclusion. But I suspect what
06:26 is going on is not about that.
06:31 The truth is that there are some—a tiny minority—who do not want Stormont back,
06:42 who do not want an Assembly in Northern Ireland and who, I quote, "would rather have imperfect
06:47 direct rule than an imperfect Stormont". That is what they say. Yet they are the same
06:53 people who berate the Government of the United Kingdom in this Parliament for selling them
06:58 out constantly. They constantly point the finger at the United Kingdom Government and
07:05 say, "You have sold us short. You have betrayed us. You have let us down." Yet they want
07:10 to hand all the power back to that Government. That is not the view of the vast majority
07:18 of unionists or people in Northern Ireland. We understand that, which is why we are committed
07:25 to getting a solution, to moving things forward, to making progress and to resolving the issues
07:31 that have harmed Northern Ireland—our economy, our businesses and, yes, our place in the
07:36 United Kingdom.
07:38 I am a proud unionist. I am proud to be part of this United Kingdom. I am proud to have
07:45 served my country in this Parliament for almost 27 years. I am proud of the service that I
07:52 have given, unlike some others, to my country when I put on the uniform of the Ulster Defence
07:58 Regiment to protect everyone in the community from terrorism and violence. Yet today, because
08:05 of the stirring up that is going on, I was threatened—threatened—by those who never
08:15 put on a uniform and by those who have not served our country. When I checked out, one
08:23 of the people who threatened me on the register did not vote at the last election. They cannot
08:31 even come out to vote for our future in the union, never mind do anything about it. Yet
08:37 they are threatening people like me, who are working day and night to try to find solutions
08:42 and to move Northern Ireland forward on a basis that the vast majority of people cannot
08:48 support.
08:49 I will say this to those who stir up and those who threaten. The provisional IRA attacked
09:00 me in the past, and it did not deflect me from the task that I and my colleagues have
09:06 to do our job and to get the best that we can for Northern Ireland. I will not be deflected
09:12 now. I will continue on the course. I will continue to engage with the Government until
09:19 we get the progress that is needed to enable us to take a decision about whether it is
09:28 sufficient to restore the political institutions.
09:33 Let us not forget that when we took the decision to come out of the institutions, it was about
09:39 the protocol. It was about restoring Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom and
09:45 its internal market. It was about ensuring that when goods are flowing from Great Britain
09:50 to Northern Ireland and staying within the United Kingdom, they flow freely. It was about
09:57 ensuring that our place in the economic union is respected and protected in law, and it
10:05 is about ensuring that our place in the political union is respected and protected in law. That
10:12 is important. That is what we are striving to achieve, to ensure that Northern Ireland's
10:20 place in the United Kingdom is valued, respected and protected, and that our right to trade
10:27 within our own country is respected and protected. That is what we are aiming to achieve.
10:34 I make no apology that we are also aiming to strengthen our ties across this United
10:41 Kingdom. Devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland has altered the way that
10:48 we govern in this nation. Brexit, our decision to leave the European Union, has altered things.
10:57 That is why, as part of what we are proposing, we want to see a more joined-up and cohesive
11:03 approach across the union, working together on economic issues, trade issues, education
11:09 and health. We are working to make progress on those matters.
11:18 I also want to say something else that I find quite insulting. When the Secretary of State
11:26 convened talks at Hillsborough to discuss the funding of our public services in Northern
11:31 Ireland, I did not ask the Secretary of State to do that. I am very clear that, for me,
11:38 this is not about the money; this is about Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom.
11:45 When we have made the progress that I hope we will make, we will sit down with the Government
11:50 and finalise arrangements in relation to the future sustainability of our political institutions
11:57 and the funding of our public services.
12:01 I echo the comments that have been made by other colleagues in the House this afternoon.
12:09 Our public services are only as effective as the people who work in them. We saw during
12:17 the covid pandemic our healthcare workers on the front line, working hard—our doctors,
12:24 our nurses, our ancillary staff and our care workers—all taking risks and putting themselves
12:32 on the line. In education, our teachers are investing in the future of our young people.
12:41 Many others who work across our public services in Northern Ireland deserve their pay rise.
12:49 They have earned their pay rise. It is essential to the delivery of our public services that
12:54 they get their pay rise. I hope that the Secretary of State, in advance of reaching an agreement
13:02 on the outstanding issues—I believe that we are moving towards finalising those issues—will
13:19 transfer the funding that the Treasury has committed to and enable our public sector
13:24 workers to have the pay rise that they deserve.
13:28 We do not want to see politics played with them, and I urge the Government to do that.
13:35 Today I noted that the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Northern Ireland, has come out with
13:40 yet another statement calling on the Secretary of State to act. I echo its comments. It deserves
13:46 the pay rise, and I hope that the Secretary of State will reflect on that.
13:57 Some have said that they hope that this is the last time that we have this type of legislation.
14:04 That requires us to reach agreement. It requires us to resolve and finalise the outstanding
14:10 issues so that we can move forward, assess the progress that has been made and take decisions
14:19 around the restoration of our political institutions if that is the way we are to go.
14:28 I am clear, and my colleagues are clear, that this is not about any price. We have fought
14:35 hard and will continue to fight hard to get the outcomes that we need for everyone in
14:41 Northern Ireland, to restore that cross-community consensus that is essential for the proper
14:48 functioning of our devolved institutions in Northern Ireland. We will work at that.
14:56 I simply say to my fellow unionists in Northern Ireland, whatever their political persuasion
15:01 or background, that the notion that a unionism that turns in on itself is a unionism that
15:09 can deliver for Northern Ireland, to make Northern Ireland work, to secure the union
15:15 for the future, is not the way to go. It is not the way to go.
15:22 We will provide the leadership that is required, because that is what is necessary to make
15:27 Northern Ireland work—to ensure that our place in the union is valued, is respected
15:34 and protected in law and in practice; to remove the barriers to trade that enable us to trade
15:43 in both directions with the rest of the United Kingdom; to ensure that our union is stronger
15:50 and that Northern Ireland's place within it is both respected and protected. That is
15:56 what we are aiming to achieve.
15:58 We will assess the outcome against our seven tests that we have set out very clearly, determine
16:05 the progress that has been made and make our decisions based upon these matters. We will
16:11 do so rationally and clearly, recognising that we are the custodians of Northern Ireland's
16:17 place within the United Kingdom. On our shoulders rests a huge responsibility. We will not shirk
16:25 that responsibility and we will not be found wanting in continuing to defend Northern Ireland's
16:31 place in the union.