Northern Ireland will no longer automatically have to follow EU laws under deal to restore power sharing, DUP leader says – politics live | Politics
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Northern Ireland will no longer automatically have to follow EU laws under deal to restore power sharing, DUP leader says
Good morning. Rail strikes are still going on in England, but in one part of the UK a long-running “strike” by key public sector workers seems about to come to an end. DUP MLAs (members of the legislative assembly) have been boycotting power sharing at Stormont for almost two years now. But, following a long and difficult party meeting in private last night (or not quite private – someone was leaking details to loyalist blogger Jamie Bryson, who was tweeting the proceedings in real time), the party is set to resume power sharing after accepting the compromise offer put on the table by the UK government.
The DUP were angry about the Northern Ireland protocol, and the modified version negotiated by Rishi Sunak last year, the Windsor protocol. The DUP supported Brexit, but they were angry about the protocol, and the framework, imposing post-Brexit trading rules affecting goods going from Britain to Northern Ireland. As a result of their two-year Stormont boycott, they have secured some changes to the framework and, as is standard in London negotiations with the Stormont parties, a large wodge of cash for Northern Ireland.
Rory Carroll has the details here.
The UK government has not yet published details of what changes it will make to the framework, but this is how Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP leader, explained what’s on offer.
[The new deal] will remove checks for goods moving within the UK and remaining in Northern Ireland and will end Northern Ireland automatically following future EU laws.
There will be legislation to provide new legal and practical protections for the Acts of Union and which guarantees unfettered access for Northern Ireland businesses to the rest of the United Kingdom.
In the coming days, in addition to the publication of the details of the new package of proposals, the UK Government will be required to deliver on the legislative commitments they have made to us.
Donaldson also said there was cross-party support for the deal, meaning that the election of a Labour government would not lead to it being reversed. He said:
Regardless of who forms the next UK government, these agreed measures will be taken forward beyond the forthcoming general election.
Here is the agenda for the day.
Morning: Rishi Sunak chairs cabinet.
10am: Kate Forbes, the Scottish government’s former finance secretary, gives evidence to the UK Covid inquiry in Edinburgh. She will be followed by John Swinney, the former deputy first minister.
11am: Sunak is due to be interviewed on ITV’s This Morning.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
11.30am: Andrew Mitchell, the development minister and deputy foreign secretary, takes questions in the Commons.
2.30pm: Judge Thomas Teague KC, the chief coroner for England and Wales, gives evidence to the Commons justice committee.
And David Cameron, the foreign secretary, is in Oman, where he is due to give a speech.
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