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Good morning John

This week has demonstrated what can be achieved when unionism is confident, determined and on the front foot.

The devastating High Court ruling concerning the Parades Commission’s handling of the Drumcree application has removed any last shred of credibility that organisation retained within the unionist community. For years the Commission has demanded that others operate within the law while apparently believing itself exempt from the same standard. That fiction has now been exposed in open court.

The judgment exposed conduct that was dismissive, cavalier and unlawful. This was never simply a legal technicality. It goes to the heart of whether the Parades Commission can be trusted to treat the unionist and loyalist community fairly, and the court has now given its answer.

The onus is firmly on the Secretary of State. Those found so wanting in the performance of their duties cannot simply carry on as though nothing has happened. The behaviour of the Parades Commission must have consequences, and decisive action is required, not warm words or a promise to reflect.

On Thursday I met Prime Minister Andy Burnham during his first visit to Northern Ireland since entering Number 10.

It is good to have the Prime Minister here, engaging directly with Northern Ireland and recognising our contribution to national life.

I welcomed his clear support for Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom and his rejection of Sinn Fein’s divisive campaign for a border poll. While households here are worried about healthcare, household bills, jobs and the future of public services, Mary Lou McDonald drove from Dublin to prioritise Sinn Fein’s selfish desire for turmoil and division instead. The Prime Minister rightly rebuffed that demand and made clear his focus is on the issues that matter to people.

The DUP will remain focused on delivery, not division. We will work constructively with this Government, but constructive does not mean uncritical. Northern Ireland must be funded fairly and sustainably, and that means the Treasury cannot keep treating reform as something to be delivered on the cheap. The Prime Minister came to listen. Now the Treasury needs to pay attention.

The same principle applies to how we trade within our own country. Working people here deserve an economy that is allowed to grow rather than one hemmed in by barriers of Brussels’ making. That is why our objective has not changed and will not change: the removal of the Windsor Framework and the restoration of Northern Ireland’s full and unfettered place within the United Kingdom internal market. Full membership of our own internal market, not a partial one - that is the standard, and nothing less will be accepted.

That same case for fairness extends to defence. Northern Ireland has never been shy in its contribution to this nation or its Armed Forces, and as defence spending rises, that contribution should be recognised in contracts as well as in words. Local firms and local workers deserve their fair share of that investment, not warm tributes followed by contracts awarded elsewhere.

The court has spoken, the Prime Minister has listened, and Sinn Fein has been left isolated in an obsession with a border poll nobody wants. None of it counts for anything unless momentum is matched by action - from the Secretary of State, from this Government, and from unionism itself.

I’m off to Dundonald now to enjoy the ‘Last Saturday’ demonstration. I hope you have a great weekend.

Best regards,

Rt. Hon. Gavin Robinson MP

DUP Leader

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