London under fire for excluding Stormont parties from ‘secretive’ talks with DUP

Both the biggest unionist party and the Northern Ireland Office have declined to publish the deal offered over post-Brexit trading arrangements which have kept Stormont mothballed for almost two years.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris announced that negotiations with the DUP had “effectively concluded”.

But the party insisted discussions would continue over the coming days and weeks.

Mr Heaton-Harris has said that his proposal will be published “at some point” because “I’d like to think the DUP will take up the offer and therefore I would have to publish everything concerned with it. But until that point it remains confidential”.

Party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has asked Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to amend legislation and future-proof Northern Ireland’s unfettered access to the UK’s internal market in all scenarios.

Downing Street said it stood ready to “legislate to protect Northern Ireland’s integral place in the United Kingdom and the UK internal market, alongside an agreement to restore the Executive”.

However, other parties expressed unease over what could emerge from the negotiations.

Alliance MLA Andrew Muir said: “Alliance has expressed concern repeatedly at the secretive nature of this process from the start, which undoubtedly has been frustrating for many.

“In the interests of openness and transparency, it is vital the people and businesses of Northern Ireland know what the arrangements between the DUP and UK Government are and where they intend on legislating, instead of having to piece together bits of the jigsaw.”

SDLP Stormont leader Matthew O’Toole said his party had not been involved in the “exclusive negotiations” between the Government and the DUP, “nor have we been presented with the text or draft legislation coming from these talks”.

He added: “It is outrageous that this process has been privatised to one party which has used it as a veneer to block the restoration of devolved government for almost two years.

“People waiting years for hospital treatment need a government now, public sector workers out on strike for a fair pay deal need a government now, everyone who relies on crumbling public services needs a government now.

“The talks are over. It’s time to get back to work.”

Sinn Fein MLA Conor Murphy said his party had been “very closely engaged” with both the British and the Irish governments for a number of months.

He added: “Jeffrey Donaldson’s rollback on restoring the Assembly has cancelled Christmas for the tens of thousands of public sector workers who now face uncertainty over the pay rise they are entitled to.

“The cruel reality for those workers is that they could have that pay rise now, but the DUP’s continued blockade has left them high and dry.

“We should have been back in an Executive and Assembly this week, electing ministers to take decisions on people’s futures and to fix public services.

“People from all sections of society are crying out for political leadership.

“The DUP should get back to work with the rest of us.”