Sir Jeffrey Donaldson 'Determined To Unify' The DUP

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said he is "determined to unify" the DUP as he makes his first public speech as the party's new leader.

Appearing in East Belfast this morning, Sir Jeffrey said that he wanted to use "all the experience, skill and support at my disposal to help make Northern Ireland a better place and to secure our position within the United Kingdom".

He continued: "In this new role and with the responsibility that has been entrusted to me, I want to take the opportunity to set out my vision for our party and our country, building on the success and achievements of those who have gone before me."

But added that his goal "can only be achieved by all of us working together to an agreed strategy and a shared plan".

Sir Jeffrey laid out his 'five core objectives':

• To remove the Irish Sea border's pernicious impact on our trading and constitutional position,

• To make sure that devolution is placed on a stable and sustainable basis,

• To prioritise our health service and our economy as we emerge from this pandemic,

• To broaden and deepen the support for Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom and

• To listen to voices from right across Northern Ireland in shaping our future strategy.

Stressing that he remained firm in his belief that Northern Ireland was best served by remaining as a part of the UK, Sir Jeffrery warned that "We cannot afford to sleepwalk into a border poll that others have spent many years preparing for".

He continued: "We must not simply seek to defend Northern Ireland's position within the United Kingdom, we must also become persuaders for the Union in word and in deed.

"Rather than wait until it is too late this is the time to work to make sure that the conditions for a border poll are never satisfied.

"Those who believe that a united Ireland is around the corner are wrong, for if we make the right choices now, we can secure the Union for generations to come."

Sir Jeffrey's full party address can be read on the DUP website.