The Ulster Unionist Party has written to the Prime Minister assuring her of the Ulster Unionist Party’s support for the strong stance she has taken in defence of the United Kingdom’s constitutional and territorial integrity.

The letter has been signed jointly by the Party Leader Robin Swann MLA, Jim Nicholson MEP and Party Chairman, Lord Empey.

The text of the letter is as follows:

“Dear Prime Minister,

We are writing with regard to the European Commission’s Draft Withdrawal Agreement and in particular the claim that “the territory of Northern Ireland, excluding the territorial waters of the United Kingdom (the "territory of Northern Ireland") shall be considered to be part of the customs territory of the Union.”

Firstly, we warmly welcome your comments that ‘no UK Prime Minister could ever agree to it.’ It is our Party’s firm belief that these proposals represent direct interference in the internal affairs of the United Kingdom and would breach the territorial integrity of the United Kingdom.

Such a proposal would end Northern Ireland’s status as an integral part of the United Kingdom and transfer us into some kind of constitutional limbo - nominally part of the UK, but subject to EU rules and regulations over which we would have no control or influence.

Secondly, it seems clear that in spite of their supposed commitment to defending the Belfast Agreement, neither the Irish Government nor the EU negotiators seems to have either read it or understood it.

The Belfast Agreement enshrined the principle of consent, whereby there could be no change in the constitutional status of Northern Ireland unless the people of Northern Ireland wanted such a change.

Thirdly, we have very real concerns at the provisions of Article 158 of this Draft Withdrawal Agreement, whereby a ‘Committee on issues related to the island of Ireland’ would be established and would be co-chaired by representatives of the EU and the UK. This committee ‘may draw up draft decisions and recommendations’ and refer them for adoption by a Joint Committee which would be responsible for the implementation, application and interpretation of the Agreement.

This is a very dangerous and un-democratic idea that would turn the clock back to 1985 and the Anglo-Irish Agreement. A number of questions flow from this. How would this body oversee the work of the North-South Ministerial Council or North-South Implementation bodies? How would it affect the workings and democratic decisions of elected Northern Ireland politicians, when devolution returns?

We are concerned that both the EU and the Irish Government are playing a very dangerous game over Northern Ireland and that clumsy attempts are being made to exploit Brexit to detach Northern Ireland from the rest of the United Kingdom and further the goal of Irish unity in the process.

This would not only be a clear breach of the Belfast Agreement; it would be a very dangerous course of action indeed.

We must be very clear in our dealings with both the EU and the Republic of Ireland. Those who voted to remain in the EU, didn`t vote to leave the UK and those who voted to leave the EU didn`t vote to leave the UK either.

Access to the markets of the EU is important, but for the people of Northern Ireland, our access to the UK domestic single market is of paramount importance.

We urge you to maintain the strong stance you have hitherto taken in defence of the United Kingdom’s constitutional and territorial integrity, and can assure you of the full support of the Ulster Unionist Party in doing so.

Yours sincerely

Robin Swann MLA, Leader, Ulster Unionist Party

James Nicholson MEP

Lord Empey, Chairman, Ulster Unionist Party