The government in Northern Ireland is set to be restored following a two-year suspension after the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) reached an agreement with Westminster.
The DUP withdrew from the power-sharing Northern Ireland Executive on Feb. 3, 2022 over disagreements around the UK’s Brexit deal, effectively collapsing the executive.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said he’s “pleased to report” that the party executive—a key 12-strong decision-making body—has endorsed the government’s deal.
The endorsement is subject t0 “binding commitments” between the DUP and London “being fully and faithfully delivered as agreed, including the tabling and passing of new legislative measures in Parliament, and final agreement on a timetable,” he told reporters.
Sir Jeffrey said the DUP recognizes that “significant further advances” have been achieved through the negotiations and concluded that the deal “does provide a basis for our party to nominate members to the Northern Ireland Executive, thus seeing the restoration of the locally elected institutions.”
“This package, I believe, safeguards Northern Ireland’s place in the Union and will restore our place within the UK internal market,” he said.
“It will remove checks for goods moving within the UK and remaining in Northern Ireland and will end Northern Ireland automatically following future EU laws.”
The party leader said details of the deal will be published by the UK Government “in due course.”
He also said he had secured cross-party support for the proposals at Westminster.
“Therefore, regardless of who forms the next UK government, these agreed measures will be taken forward beyond the forthcoming general election,” he said.
During the power-sharing impasse, the DUP has used “seven tests” to measure any proposals designed to address its concerns on the trading arrangements. Sir Jeffrey said the package on the table represented “progress” across all seven tests.
Support for the deal is not unanimous within the DUP, and several senior figures remain fiercely opposed to the proposed agreement to restore power-sharing.
Unionist critics of Sir Jeffrey’s move, both inside and outside the DUP, believe the Stormont boycott should only end once all economic barriers created by Brexit’s Northern Ireland Protocol, and the subsequent Windsor Framework, are removed.
While the deal being offered by the government will seek to reduce red tape and offer additional measures aimed at strengthening GB-NI ties, they will not result in the axing of the EU and the UK’s jointly agreed protocol and framework.
Asked about potential dissent within the party, Sir Jeffrey added, “I am confident that all members of the party will accept what was a decisive move by the party executive this evening.”
Around 50 loyalist and unionist protesters assembled outside Monday night’s meeting at the Larchfield estate in Co. Down, many carrying posters and banners warning against a DUP “sellout.”
Some shouted at DUP members as they drove into the grounds of the venue.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris welcomed DUP’s backing of the deal, and committed that the UK government “will stick to this agreement.”
The minister said he’s “grateful to Sir Jeffrey and colleagues for ”the constructive dialogue over the past months“ and to the other political parties in Northern Ireland for ”the patience they have shown during this time.”
Under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which ended decades of sectarian fighting among Irish nationalists and pro-UK unionists, the legislative and executive power in Northern Ireland must be shared between the largest unionist party, DUP, and the largest republican party, Sinn Féin.
The executive stopped fully functioning on Feb. 3, 2022 after then-first minister, DUP’s Paul Givan, resigned, which automatically triggered the removal of Sinn Féin’s Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill.
Following an assembly election on May 5, in which Sinn Féin surpassed the DUP to become the largest party in the assembly for the first time, the DUP refused to participate in forming a new executive or nominating an assembly speaker unless the UK government deals with the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Sinn Féin previously pulled out of the power-sharing executive in 2017, leaving Northern Ireland without a government for three years.
Following Tuesday’s announcement, Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald said she was optimistic Stormont could return before the next legislative deadline for forming an administration, Feb. 8.
“I am optimistic having heard Jeffrey Donaldson’s public declaration that we will see the northern institutions back up and running before the Feb. 8 deadline with a fully functioning Assembly and Executive and north-south bodies,” she said.
“Sinn Fein will now engage with the parties and both governments to ensure we now all press on without delay.”
Ms. McDonald said political stability is “vital” and called on politicians to focus on “support workers and families who want and deserve functioning government.”
DUP efforts to keep details of Monday’s executive meeting secret were seriously undermined when Jamie Bryson, a loyalist activist and vocal opponent of the government deal, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, what he said were live updates from the confidential briefing—posts that included details of apparent attempts to find out who was leaking the information to Mr. Bryson.
