TUV manifesto focuses on Irish Sea border as Jim Allister says DUP deal was 'greatest deception attempted' on unionist people

Framing the election debate as one of trust, Jim Allister said the DUP’s Safeguarding the Union deal “will forever stand as the greatest contrivance of lies and deception ever attempted on the unionist people”.

The TUV leader said the UK has been splintered by the Protocol and will be further splintered later this year when the Windsor Framework arrangements come into full effect.

Mr Allister’s party has also unveiled a detailed policy document on how it believes the Irish Sea border can be removed through a policy of mutual enforcement with the EU, written by the DUP’s former policy director Dr Dan Boucher – now a TUV candidate.

The DUP appeared to announce mutual enforcement as its new policy this week in the Assembly. Deborah Erskine MLA said the current arrangements – which the DUP backed in January – were undermining the UK internal market.

Mr Boucher described himself as the TUV – Reform UK candidate for Belfast South - however there is no joint ticket on the ballot paper after the Electoral Commission said that it was misleading to voters, and candidates will be listed on the ballot paper under TUV – No Sea Border.

In a video distributed today on Reform UK platforms, he appealed for GB voters support for the unionist cause by highlighting Northern Ireland's contribution to the world wars – and asked the public on the mainland to vote for the “restoration of our country” by voting Reform UK.

The TUV manifesto – entitled ‘Restore the Union’ – reiterates the party’s shared objectives with Reform UK in the areas of upholding and strengthening the Union, equal rights for all citizens within the United Kingdom, the completion of a ‘full Brexit’, ‘robust immigration system and controls’ and a taxation system which ‘rewards effort’.

It lambasts the DUP’s Safeguarding the Union deal – attempting to rebrand it as the ‘Donaldson-Robinson Deal’ – and saying that it was based on “what can only be regarded as a sleight of hand”. TUV say the command paper “contains a blatant lie” where it states that “the Windsor Framework applies only in respect of the trade in goods” – highlighting recent court judgements which show the deal extends to issues such as legacy legislation and immigration policy.

The TUV also attempt to deal with allegations of ‘vote splitting’ from the DUP by saying that after the election one of the important statistics will be the total Unionist vote. The party accuses others of arrogantly claiming “that they alone have the right to contest elections and only a vote for them counts. Such talk plays into the hands of the enemies of the Union”.

Reform UK said last month that they were unable to register here in time for the general election. However, election material uses a joint logo and the memorandum of understanding between the parties remains. That’s despite the “personal” endorsement of two DUP candidates – Sammy Wilson and Ian Paisley – by the new leader Nigel Farage.

Asked by the News Letter if Mr Farage should withdraw his endorsement of the DUP’s Ian Paisley and Nigel Farage, Mr Allister said he wouldn’t be asking anyone to withdraw endorsements – and that the only endorsement he sought was that of the voters.

Deputy leader Ron McDowell said the manifesto was a “firm foundation for Northern Ireland”. He said woke issues were coming to the fore and the TUV was a moderate voice, and one of love and compassion.

Mr McDowell said the party's opposition to abortion has been consistent - and that full term abortion was an extreme position which the party opposes. He also set out his party's opposition to assisted suicide, to current RSE guidance in schools – as well as gender ideology being taught to children.

He said the Pride movement is a political campaign and that the TUV had successfully argued against PSNI's participation in Belfast's Pride parade.

Reform UK deputy leader Ben Habib also spoke at the event. He said Northern Ireland still doesn't have Brexit, arguing that nobody voted for two more treaties with the EU and a border down the Irish Sea – and that nobody voted for Northern Ireland to become a 'repository for illegal migrants.

The duty to protect the Union had been given to the DUP, he said, but they "eventually took the knee to the Protocol, and lied about it".

On national issues – immigration is most prominent in the TUV manifesto document and the party endorses the Reform UK strategy for dealing with levels of migration. That includes a pledge to freeze ‘non-essential’ migration, leave the European Convention on Human Rights and allow no illegal immigrants to settle in the UK.

There is a plethora of tax cuts promised, in line with Reform UK’s national policy. For individual taxpayers TUV pledge to:

- Lift the Income Tax Start Point to £20,000 Per Year – with the higher rate beginning at £70,000.

- Lower fuel duty by 20p per litre for both residential and business users. Scrap VAT on energy bills. Scrap environmental levies.

- Cut Residential Stamp Duty

- Abolish the VAT Tourist Tax

Carl Emmerson, deputy director at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said of Reform’s manifesto: “Reform UK proposes tax cuts that it estimates would cost nearly £90 billion per year, and spending increases of £50 billion per year.

“It claims that it would pay for these through £150 billion per year of reductions in other spending, covering public services, debt interest and working-age benefits”.

He added: “the package as a whole is problematic. Spending reductions would save less than stated, and the tax cuts would cost more than stated, by a margin of tens of billions of pounds per year”.

In a foreword to the manifesto, leader Jim Allister says “This election is overshadowed by the greatest constitutional crisis Northern Ireland has ever faced. Our nation is partitioned by a border in the Irish Sea and unaccountable rule from Brussels dictates many aspects of our lives.

"Remarkably, while the rest of the UK is electing MPs to make the laws which govern them, we in Northern Ireland have no say in over 300 areas of law. Those are decided by the EU, where we have no input.

“Sadly, the unity once enjoyed across Unionism has been shattered by those who broke their word to you and obtained votes dishonestly in the council elections and indeed Assembly elections when they told you they were opposed to the Sea Border.

“At the beginning of the year, the DUP claimed that the Sea Border was gone. ‘Zero checks, zero paperwork’ was the infamous boast of Jeffery Donaldson with Gavin Robinson standing beside him in support. Now, faced with an election, the tune has changed.

“Those who admit they lied to you in February do not deserve your vote in July.

“Truth, honesty and integrity still matter in politics.

“You can make that clear on 4th July by voting TUV - No Sea Border”.