Build bridge from Scotland to bolster Union, DUP urges Johnson

BORIS JOHNSON should build a bridge stretching between Northern Ireland and Scotland to show he is a sincere advocate for Unionism, the DUP’s Sammy Wilson has said.

Mr Wilson warned that Mr Johnson risks overseeing the breakup of the United Kingdom unless he dispelled the notion that the UK was run “by remote control by southern English men and women”. Strong election results for the SNP in Scotland and nationalist parties in Northern Ireland have driven speculation that the Prime Minister will come under intense pressure to allow independence referendums in both regions.

“One of the big themes of this parliament will be how you protect the Union, and I think Boris cannot ignore the threat that comes not just from Sinn Féin but also from Scotland,” Mr Wilson told The Sunday Telegraph.

“He has got to take more seriously the role he has as Prime Minister in selling the advantages of the Union, taking steps to strengthen the Union and ensure that there is growth not just in the north of England but in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales,” he added.

Mr Wilson cited a DUP manifesto pledge to build a bridge between Northern Ireland and Scotland as one way of forging a “physical and economic link”. Mr Johnson floated the same proposal earlier this year, but it was dismissed as “bonkers” by engineering experts. “This idea that parts of the UK are being governed by remote control by English southern men and women, it’s one of the driving factors of nationalism,” the DUP said.

“We would love to talk to him about the things he can do to make sure that a sense of isolation is not engendered.”

It comes after the DUP licks its wounds after the defeat of its deputy leader and another MP in Belfast, as well as the loss of any leverage over Mr Johnson’s emboldened Government.

Nigel Dodds, the DUP deputy leader, was unseated by Sinn Féin’s John Finucane in North Belfast while the SDLP defeated Emma Little-Pengelly in South Belfast.

Mr Dodds’ ardent support for Brexit has been cited as one of the key factors in the bruising election results, as 56 per cent in Northern Ireland voted Remain in the 2016 referendum.

The outcome of the election may at least return stability to Northern Ireland’s domestic politics.

Sinn Féin and the DUP are expected to hold talks next week on restoring the Northern Ireland Assembly, also known as Stormont.

The Assembly collapsed three years ago at the height of a row between the two parties over a proposed Irish Language Act and alleged misuse of public funds.