- By Jayne McCormack
- BBC News NI political correspondent
The DUP has been involved in talks to restore the executive, which have also been met with protests by trade unions
The DUP is “approaching the time” for a decision on returning to Stormont, its leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said.
The party walked out of government 22 months ago in protest at post-Brexit trade arrangements in Northern Ireland.
It has been involved in talks with the government aimed at reaching a deal to allow power-sharing to be revived.
“I haven’t come this far to plan for failure,” said Sir Jeffrey, adding that the final stages of a negotiation could be “the most challenging”.
“We’ve made significant progress,” he continued.
“Undoubtedly we’re approaching the time when we will be able to examine where we’ve got to, the progress that’s been made and perhaps come to some decisions,” he told BBC News NI’s Good Morning Ulster on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Irish broadcaster RTÉ reported that Tánaiste (deputy prime minister) Micheál Martin told his party Fianna Fáil he believed a deal could be done “within days”.
Sir Jeffrey dismissed that as “speculation” and said he had not provided a timeline to anyone.
Image source, Getty Images
Rishi Sunak made the comments in the Commons on Wednesday
Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the government stood ready to legislate to “protect” Northern Ireland’s place in the UK internal market.
He added such a move would sit alongside a deal to restore the Northern Ireland Executive and added the government was prepared to work “at pace” to achieve this.
Mr Sunak was responding to a question by Sir Jeffrey, who asked the government to amend the UK Internal Market Act to “guarantee and future-proof” Northern Ireland’s access to the UK internal market “in all scenarios”.
‘Not at the end of the process’
The DUP leader said he was “refining” those issues with the government.
Any deal will need the approval of the DUP’s officers who run the party and hold influence over its policy decisions.
Sir Jeffrey said no meeting of officers was planned for Thursday.
He said he did not know if it would be possible to reach an agreement by the time of the Christmas recess on Tuesday.
“We’re not yet at the end of the process,” he continued. “Of course I want to get an outcome as soon as possible but I want it to be the right outcome because we don’t want to be in this position again in six months’ time.”
Sir Jeffrey said he didn’t come this far to plan for failure so he does sound like a man who is inching closer to that point where the party is going to make a call about whether or not they will return to Stormont.
What he said this morning is interesting, combined with the mood last night in and around the talks at Hillsborough Castle – there was sense that there is a move on, that something could well happen over the coming days.
Of course a lot of that was fuelled by what we heard yesterday from the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
When he talks about working at pace now to get this over the line, we know recess is coming on Tuesday so that in a sense is creating some kind of a timeline.
It has to be heavily caveated because we do know that deals can unravel pretty quickly.
That said we also know that when things fall into place deals can happen very quickly, as was the case with the Windsor Framework.
There’s lots to play for and if the government gets its way we could be inching closer.
Talks extended
Talks between the government and Northern Ireland’s largest political parties over a new £2.5bn financial package were extended on Wednesday.
The package would include a lump sum to settle public sector pay claims and a new “needs-based” funding formula for public services.
It would also allow overspends from last year and this year to be repaid over five years.
Image source, HOLLIE ADAMS/Reuters
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said he will go back to the prime minister and see what more is possible
Government in Northern Ireland requires the largest unionist and nationalist parties to share power in a coalition government.
Without the DUP’s support, the Northern Ireland Executive collapsed, leading to senior civil servants running government departments instead of ministers.
Westminster’s announcement of a financial package came as Northern Ireland’s five main parties met Mr Heaton-Harris for the first roundtable talks since July.
Parties have had three days of talks at Hillsborough Castle, centred around financial issues.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
