A former UUP leader has pleaded with unionists not to "give up" on the UK despite the British government "treating us so badly".
Tom Elliott spoke as Fermanagh's county grand master of the Royal Black Institution, when he warned of "battles to fight" ahead, including against the Northern Ireland Protocol, and said it often appeared the UK was "not serving our best interests" as unionists.
In his speech, he urged continued support for the union, despite "the very government of the country that we commit loyalty to treating us so badly".
Addressing members of the loyal order that had gathered in Sion Mills in Co Tyrone for the organisation's annual Black Saturday demonstrations, the former Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP urged unionists not to be "led into a false sense of security" by the British government's NI Protocol Bill aimed at overriding parts of the 2019 Brexit Withdrawal Agreement between the UK and EU.
Mr Elliott, now a Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA, claimed the protocol was leading to "the diminishing of Northern Ireland’s constitutional position as part of the United Kingdom".
"We want to continue to be unionists; we want to continue to have a clear and direct link with the United Kingdom; we want to be fully-fledged and equal citizens of our great nation," he said.
"There are some aspects to that equal citizenship that we may not like but, believe me, it is much better to continue to fight to remain part of that great union than rolling over into a united Ireland."
Referring to census figures from 2001 showing almost 870,000 Irish-born people living in Great Britain, he said: "I’m sure it has significantly increased in the last 20 years.
"Of course, it is not just those from the Republic of Ireland who see a better future within the UK, but millions of people from various parts of the world recognise the same opportunities."
He added: "Even though it may at times appear that the UK is not serving our best interests, don’t give up on it. We will have battles to fight, just like the current Protocol battle, and on that issue don’t be led into a false sense of security by the current Westminster legislation on the issue."
