The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has reported a “threat of violence” against him to the police, the party has said. During a speech in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Sir Jeffrey revealed that he had been threatened due to the increased tensions over the party’s Brexit trade rules negotiations. The DUP has been blocking the resumption of Northern Ireland’s devolved institutions, which has brought noticeable unrest since 2022. Its intention is to protest post-Brexit trade checks between the region and Great Britain. The party has been in talks with the UK government seeking changes to the arrangements agreed with the EU called the Windsor Framework.
During the speech, Sir Jeffrey said he would not be “deflected” in his attempts to reach a deal to restore Stormont power-sharing. He then disclosed that he had been threatened by individuals who had never “put on a uniform” and had not voted in the previous elections. Yet, they were threatening people who are working to solve the current issues. The DUP leader aimed to come out forcefully against his unionist critics, stating that some were attempting to “orchestrate opposition to a deal that has not yet taken place.” By doing so, he drew criticism from an SDLP’s leader who described his conduct towards unionist critics as “confrontational.”
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris strongly condemned those who had threatened Sir Jeffrey Donaldson. “The fact he’s been threatened for doing what he has been doing is a disgrace,” he said. Mr Heaton-Harris hopes politicians will soon be back “celebrating” the return of Stormont’s power-sharing government. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood expressed his support for Sir Jeffrey and denounced the threats vainly against him. Meanwhile, Alliance Party MP Stephen Farry described the tone of Sir Jeffrey’s speech as “encouraging” on the outlook of recovering devolution.
Although the police do not discuss the security of any individuals, the details have been reported to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) by the DUP. The party spokesman stated, “There is no place for the threat of violence in democratic politics,” and “the details have been reported to the PSNI, and we trust those responsible will be held accountable for their actions.” Last week Northern Ireland faced a significant strike involving tens of thousands of public sector workers taking industrial action in a dispute over pay
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