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Good morning John

Today I’m in Glasgow where it is a privilege to address the Twelfth celebrations and bring greetings from Northern Ireland to friends whose history and heritage are so closely linked with our own.

Every visit reinforces just how deep the bond is between Ulster and Scotland. It is a relationship built over centuries through faith, family, industry, service and sacrifice. While politics inevitably changes, those foundations have endured.

It has also been a timely reminder that, despite years of predictions to the contrary, the United Kingdom remains strong. For decades we have been told the Union is in inevitable decline. We heard it before the Scottish independence referendum, after Brexit and after almost every election since. Yet those predictions continue to collide with reality.

One of the reasons is straightforward. Across the UK, people increasingly expect government to focus on the issues that matter most to their daily lives. They want waiting lists reduced, streets kept safe, businesses supported and opportunities created for the next generation.

Constitutional campaigning simply doesn't achieve those things.

Only this week in Hillsborough the Executive parties met the Chief Secretary to the Treasury about better funding for Northern Ireland. It was embarrassing that Sinn Fein’s leader spent as much time talking about constitutional issues as she did making a case for better funding.

That is why my priority remains making Northern Ireland stronger within the United Kingdom. Every new investment secured, every job created and every improvement to our public services strengthens our place in the Union. Success prosperity remains the most powerful argument of all.

With colleagues paying our respects to the fallen, 110 years on from the first day of the Battle of the Somme

I also believe we should never allow others to define our culture or identity for us. Too often those who cherish our British identity, our Orange tradition or our constitutional position are caricatured or dismissed by people who have little interest in understanding them. We should always reject hatred and sectarianism and equally we should never apologise for traditions rooted in faith, service, community and loyalty.

One part of my speech today reflects an issue on which I feel particularly strongly. Victims of terrorism deserve better than being told by the First Minister of Scotland to simply "move on".

No society should ask innocent people to forget the loss of loved ones or minimise the suffering caused by terrorism. Truth, justice and respect must remain our guiding principles, and those values should never become politically inconvenient.

As I return home after two days in Scotland, I do so encouraged by the thousands of ordinary people who continue to celebrate our shared heritage with dignity and pride.

They remind us that the Union is about far more than constitutional arrangements.

It is about people, communities, shared values and a determination to hand on an even stronger United Kingdom to the next generation.

Yours sincerely

Rt. Hon. Gavin Robinson MP

DUP Leader

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