Member

I mention these things because there is a way of talking about Northern Ireland as though there is dynamic alignment with the Irish Republic and the UK Government are not fulfilling any of the commitments made under either Safeguarding the Union or the Windsor Framework. That way of talking is quite clearly not right. It is a complicated process. The Windsor Framework is a historic compromise. To be blunt, Northern Ireland looks both ways in its allegiance. We simply have to accept that. We cannot talk all the time as if there is just one unionist community in Northern Ireland. We have to take into account that a significant number of people in Northern Ireland would prefer to remain in the European Union. All these things remain brutal political facts that cannot be ignored.