The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has agreed to the UK government’s proposed measures to restore the power-sharing arrangement at Stormont in Northern Ireland. DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson announced the decision, stating the government will “publish new measures that are designed to restore Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom and its internal market.”
The decision comes in the aftermath of the collapse of the Stormont Assembly in February 2022, in protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol, signed in January 2020. The protocol was introduced following Brexit as a trade deal aimed at maintaining cooperation between the two regions and avoiding a ‘hard border’. Led by the DUP, the protest was centered around the belief that the protocol damaged Northern Ireland’s place in the UK internal market, due to the requirement for goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain to be checked.
The prorogation of the Stormont assembly significantly limited the ability of officials to make decisions on the public sector budget. Resultantly, Northern Ireland experienced the largest strike action in its history, affecting key services such as health, education, public transport and roads. It also blocked the implementation of a significant organ donation legislation, known as Dáithí’s Law.
In February 2023, the UK government signed the Windsor Framework with the European Union, based on the Northern Ireland protocol. The Framework differs from the protocol, as it discerns between merchandise arriving from Great Britain that will remain in Northern Ireland, which is exempt from checks, and that which will be exported to the EU.
The new UK government Trade deal, Safeguarding the Union, was introduced to address the issues that arose following the adoption of the Windsor Framework. The aim of this deal is to solidify Northern Ireland’s integral role in the UK’s internal market with measures that follow the Windsor Framework’s chief objectives.
Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Chris Heaton-Harris, welcomed the decision, and congratulated the DUP on their readiness to return to the Northern Ireland Assembly and nominate representatives to the Northern Ireland Executive.
The UK parliament passed legislation today to implement the deal and to restore the power-sharing arrangement at Stormont.
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