Donaldson declares ‘this is not Brexit!’ as he tries to woo Tories into enlisting in anti-Protocol battle

He has produced a new document highlighting the impact of the Protocol on Northern Ireland and the wider United Kingdom. It re-states the party’s position that the sea border “must go”, and breaks down the reasons into seven short bulletpoints. They are, as follows: 1) This government pledged to protect and strengthen the UK internal market as part of New Decade New Approach; 2) It threatens the constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom; 3) It is costing the Northern Ireland economy £2.5m every day; 4) No elected unionist representative in Northern Ireland supports the Protocol; 5) It is entirely undemocratic; 6) This is not Brexit; 7) A good deal for the EU, a bad deal for the UK. The party says it was distributed amongst Conservative MPs earlier this week. Today he said: “The Protocol was sold on the basis of promoting peace and stability yet there is no cross-community support and it undermines a key foundation that political progress was built upon. “The Assembly and Executive were restored on the basis of a clear promise that Northern Ireland’s place within the UK internal market would be restored. Whilst trade barriers between Great Britain and Northern Ireland remain that promise has not been fulfilled and devolution is undermined. “No-one who supported leaving the European Union did so on the basis of it driving a wedge between constituent parts of the UK. “Whilst the Irish Sea border exists, Brexit has not been delivered.” Earlier in the week, Edwin Poots had warned that Northern Ireland is currently only seeing about 10% of the number of checks on good from GB the EU ultimately wants to impose. More from this reporter: Click here – VIDEO: Huge revamp of Belfast would create miles-long leafy avenue... turn Westlink into tunnel... and make city ‘blue again’ Click here – Wall of silence: Home Office suggests it is dangerous to tell public details about turning Carrickfergus hotel into base for foreign nationals Click here – Criminalising conversion therapy: Northern Ireland must avoid – not mimic – Canada’s new law says transgender writer —— ——— A message from the Editor: Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. With the coronavirus lockdowns having had a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription. Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptionsnow to sign up. Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website. Ben Lowry, Editor