The DUP leader writes to the French president explaining how Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom

The new leader of the Democratic Unionist Party sent a copy of the Good Friday Agreement to French President Emmanuel Macron after he indicated that Northern Ireland is not part of the United Kingdom.

The Sunday Telegraph reported British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tried to explain his frustration with the Northern Ireland Protocol by asking Macron what he would do if sausages couldn’t be transported from Toulouse to Paris.

The French president claimed that the comparison did not work because Paris and Toulouse were part of the same country, according to the newspaper.

It comes amid heightened tensions over post-Brexit checks on goods transported between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

Boris Johnson has warned he will do whatever it takes to keep goods flowing, with Taoiseach Micheál Martin warning against it Any unilateral action on extending the grace period would be ‘problematic’.

Johnson and Macron are pictured together at the G7 summit.

Source: PA Images

In today’s statementEdwin Potts said:

«Emmanuel Macron’s suggestion that Northern Ireland is not part of the United Kingdom is offensive and demands a statement from the French administration recognizing Northern Ireland’s constitutional status.»

He pointed out that Macron’s comments exposed «ignorance» within the European Union. Adding:

Five years have passed since the referendum. Northern Ireland has taken center stage for most of that time, yet the most powerful man in one of the EU’s most powerful countries still doesn’t realize that Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. It’s incredible.

Potts again called for the Northern Ireland Protocol to be removed.

The Good Friday Agreement – also known as the Belfast Agreement – was approved by a large majority in referendums on both sides of the border in 1998 and states that Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom.

It can only form part of a united Ireland «subject to the assent and consent of the majority of the people of Northern Ireland».

It can be read in full here.

Contains press reports of the Press Association