Statement by TUV spokesperson David Vance:

“The comments this morning on BBC Radio Foyle by Joint First Minister McGuinness exposed yet again why Republicans are so keen to see the devolution of policing and justice.

“In Sinn Fein/IRA terms this is about “transfer of power over policing and justice from England to our island”. These comments – coupled to Gerry Adams’s description of the deal as a “staging post” on the road to Irish unity should remove all doubt about how the Hillsborough Agreement plays into Republican hands.

“Unionists need to wake up before it is too late!”