The DUP MP said,
"The European Union has demonstrated its bad faith throughout this process. It was demonstrated first in January when they invoked Article 16 to block vaccines coming to Northern Ireland. This was only later reversed after understandable outrage that the European Union was prepared to play politics with people's health.
We see also the actions of the French in impounding UK registered boats and blocked the UK fleet from offloading in French ports. These are the actions from core members of this supposedly "rules based" organisation yet Northern Ireland is told that it must accept the damage inflicted upon it by the Protocol without question.
There has been a very strong case for the United Kingdom to trigger Article 16 for some time now. I called for this to happen in January and the UK Government has accepted that the conditions do exist for unilateral action.
The Government has given a clear commitment in NDNA that it will act to protect Northern Ireland's place within the United Kingdom single market. That commitment must be fulfilled and if Brussels continues with the same attitude displayed previously then unilateral action will be necessary. If they do not act and that commitment is not fulfilled then the people of Northern Ireland will have their voice heard at the ballot box."