The DUP is bitterly split over whether unionists should prepare for a united Ireland Peter Robinson is for ‘insuring’ against the possibility – but colleague Sammy Wilson thinks that’s ‘dangerous’

A rare and bitter public battle is raging at the top of the DUP, with former leader Peter Robinson engaged in a dispute with the party top brass about whether unionists need to prepare for the possibility of a united Ireland.

Mr Robinson, a founding member of the party who served as the late Ian Paisley’s deputy for decades before Dr Paisley was persuaded to retire in 2008, has made several forthright public pronouncements in recent weeks. These culminated in a warning last weekend that Northern Ireland should prepare for the possibility of a united Ireland.

Although Mr Robinson made clear that he remained committed to the Union and thought the possibility of a united Ireland was remote, he said: “I don’t expect my own house to burn down but I still insure it because it could happen.”

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He also set out a rare explicit statement of acceptance from a unionist leader that if there is a referendum result in favour of a united Ireland then unionists will have to peacefully accept the new reality: “As soon as that decision is taken every democrat will have to accept that decision.”

‘Dangerous and demoralising’

The remarks were quickly denounced by his long-standing DUP colleague Sammy Wilson who said that what his former leader had said was “dangerous and demoralising”, “wrong”, “damaging to unionist morale” and something which “gives credibility to the republican propaganda that a united Ireland is inevitable”.

Other senior DUP figures were privately dismayed by Mr Robinson’s intervention.

DUP leader Arlene Foster declined to respond to Mr Robinson’s comments, but issued a statement on Tuesday in which she rejected Sinn Féin calls for a border poll by saying that “there is a clear majority in favour of staying within the United Kingdom” and therefore there was no need for such a referendum.

Today Mr Robinson responded with a 1,700-word article in the Belfast Telegraph in which he denounced his critics and warned that it was “crass folly” to simply say a united Ireland will never happen and therefore it is unnecessary to prepare for the possibility.

Elephant in the room, squatting on their laps

The former First Minister said it was “crazy” not to prepare for the possibility of a united Ireland.

He referred to those “still in denial and refusing to talk about the elephant in the room” while that elephant “is positioning itself to squat upon their laps”.

One paragraph in the article praised Arlene Foster, saying that “few unionists have delivered anything close to a well-argued case for the Union other than Arlene Foster in a forceful and persuasive speech at the Policy Exchange. She should be given full support.”

Mr Robinson’s article had only been on newsstands for a few hours today when Sammy Wilson weighed in with a robust rebuttal, saying that he was “not in the least surprised that [Mr Robinson] should hit back at those who questioned his analysis”.

Although acknowledging there are “some points which he makes that no-one could disagree with”, Mr Wilson went on to deconstruct what he said was a “plain wrong” argument.

He said: “The Peter Robinson who I remember and admired…led the fight against what seemed impossible odds. He was a formidable advocate for the Union…but his current analysis of what unionists should be doing is just plain wrong.”

Robinson on maneouvres?

Former Ulster Unionist Party leader Lord Empey speculated that Mr Robinson might be on a “comeback operation” to return to the DUP leadership.

However, in a typically curt response Mr Robinson told BBC Radio Ulster’s Talkback programme: “You must be joking. Not the remotest notion of doing so.”

There has long been enmity between the two men and Mr Robinson used his Belfast Telegraph article to attack the UUP’s support for the Belfast Agreement – of which Lord Empey was a key negotiator.

Mr Robinson said it was “amazing” that among those criticising him had been UUP members “because it was they who in 1998 not only talked about the issue but negotiated upon it”.