DUP defends 'important gains' in Safeguarding the Union deal, as it vows to remove barriers within UK

The Safeguarding the Union deal isn’t directly mentioned in the 47 page document, but a detailed defence of the structures set up under it – and of the party’s decision to return to Stormont – is.

The DUP describe bodies such as the UK East-West Council, Intertrade UK and the Independent Monitoring Panel (IMP) as “important gains which were worthy of banking”.

A pledge to remove EU law and the Irish Sea border remains, but there is little detail on how that would be delivered, other than to vote against their continued application in a Stormont vote due later this year.

The DUP also pledge to use the ‘Stormont Brake’ mechanism “to full effect in the pursuit of our overall objective”.

Asked by the News Letter whether the DUP would now focus on prioritising the implementation of the rest of Safeguarding the Union – or getting rid of the arrangements and removing EU law – Gavin Robinson highlighted ongoing issues with the goods caught by the Windsor Framework’s red lane.

"In the Safeguarding the Union document, you will see that we secured the mechanisms and the functions, and the bodies, to get the body of evidence together to make the case for greater progress”, the DUP leader said.

He said the DUP never accepted the overarching arrangements, saying they were imposed over the heads of the people of Northern Ireland – and supported “blindly” by other political parties. He said other Stormont parties didn’t care about the impact of the Protocol on trade or the constitution.

"How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time”, he said.

The manifesto pledges to send a strong message to the next government “that building on the progress to date, we will continue to fight to fully restore Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom, including removing the application of EU law in our country and the internal Irish Sea border it creates.

“We will continue to argue the case for the full primacy of the United Kingdom internal market and we will continue to reject the undermining of its integrity”.

Gavin Robinson was setting out the party's vision at the Danny Blanchflower stadium in the heart of East Belfast, where he is in a battle with the Alliance leader Naomi Long.

The DUP leader outlined the party's record of delivery on issues from the Irish Sea border to the infected blood scandal - and said others only brought division.

He said that voting for smaller parties “risks helping to elect MPs who will take us in the wrong direction and who don’t believe in Northern Ireland.

“Let us go forward and ensure that on 4th July we have a strong DUP team that will be working and winning for the people of Northern Ireland.

The party's strapline for the election is Making NI work, and their manifesto deals with a range of issues from broadband to religious freedom - and recognition of people with Down's Syndrome as a protected minority group.

It also focuses on what the party has delivered in government in recent years, including settling a pay dispute with teachers and legislation for defective premises in the wake of the scandal around the Victoria Square apartment complex.

Speaking at the home of Harland and Woolf Welders football club, the MLA Cheryl Brownlee welcomed candidates to the venue "in the heart of loyal East Belfast".

She said the delivery section of the manifesto was longer than Sinn Fein's entire manifesto - and said the party was in the business of Making Northern Ireland work.

The East Antrim MLA introduced the "big lad" to rapturous applause from the party's Westminster candidates, MLAs and party members.

Delivery was the key theme of his pitch, contrasting that with what he said was a lack of delivery from opponents.

"Voters can tell the difference between those who have been fighting for them and can win for them, and those that can’t and don’t care if they splinter the pro-Union vote and reduce the number of pro-Union MPs representing Northern Ireland in our parliament”.