End of Stormont Impasse as DUP Agrees to Deal

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.

On Feb. 3, 2022, the DUP withdrew from the power-sharing Northern Ireland Executive 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 has endorsed the government’s deal.

The endorsement is subject to “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 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.” He added, “This package, I believe, safeguards Northern Ireland’s place in the Union and will restore our place within the UK internal market.”

“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 details of the deal will be published by the UK Government, “in due course,” said Sir Jeffrey. 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.

“I am confident that all members of the party will accept what was a decisive move by the party executive this evening,” said Sir Jeffrey.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris welcomed DUP’s backing of the deal, and committed that the UK government “will stick to this agreement.”

“I now believe that all the conditions are in place for the Assembly to return, the parties entitled to form an Executive are meeting today to discuss these matters and I hope to be able to finalize this deal with the political parties as soon as possible,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the legislative and executive power in Northern Ireland must be shared among 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.

Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald said she was optimistic Stormont could return before the next legislative deadline for forming an administration, Feb. 8.

“Sinn Fein will now engage with the parties and both governments to ensure we now all press on without delay.”

Jamie Bryson, a loyalist activist and vocal opponent of the government deal, posted 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.

PA Media contributed to this report.