Tracey Magee: Stakes are high for Poots as DUP prepares bombshell announcement

Edwin Poots is a politician used to being in the headlines but even he could not have predicted the situation he now finds himself in.

By close of play today he could be the DUP minister who stopped the NI Protocol checks while at the same time fighting for his political career. The agriculture minister signalled for some time he would stop checks at the ports and airports if he failed to get permission to carry on the checks from his Executive colleagues.

His paper was blocked from being discussed at last week’s Executive meeting. This morning he told BBC radio he was waiting for legal counsel on the matter. He said it was expecting to get it “imminently.”

I understand it’s understood he will have it by lunchtime, Wednesday. Once he gets it - and as long as he believes it supports his view – it’s expected he will announce he will halt the checks. It’s a seismic move which will be applauded by his party and many, many unionists. Hard to believe then that this is all happening while the DUP veteran is fighting for his political life. The former DUP leader is in search of a political home after DUP party officers rejected his attempt to secure the south Down candidacy. Instead they backed a relative newcomer, local councillor Diane Forsythe.

Mr Poots is clearly furious. Sources close to him say he had an understanding with the leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson that he would not contest the Lagan Valley seat and in return he would be selected to run in south Down after long-time MLA Jim Wells was de-selected. The party strongly denies the claim.

One very senior source said: “Jeffery could not have done some sort of backroom deal. There’s a proper selection process and that can’t be tampered with. It would be playing with fire.”

Mr Poots didn’t go as far as to say he had an agreement with Sir Jeffrey this morning, instead he said he had “engaged” with the leader for two months on this matter. But he also indicated he is not going away and that he’s not going down without a fight. "I think there was a little excitement over the weekend and people were writing off Edwin Poots' political career. I can assure you that my demise has just not happened quite yet, the obituary writers just need to out their pens down. Edwin Poots has not gone away." It all sets up a potentially dramatic and damaging meeting of the 130 strong party Executive. At that gathering grassroots members will be asked to ratify the party officers’ decision and the Poots camp insist they have the numbers to overturn the South Down decision.

This is the last thing Sir Jeffrey needs right now. Speculation the party is about to announce First Minister Paul Givan will resign in protest over the NI Protocol. That bombshell announcement is looming, perhaps by the end of this week. At this point I’m told the only thing that could stop the resignation is a “clear commitment” from the government that it will remove the Irish Sea trade border or for the Foreign Minister Liz Truss to trigger Article 16. Ms Truss is due to meet her EU counterpart Maros Sefcovic tomorrow. Much is riding on the outcome of that meeting. For Edwin Poots the stakes are high – he could be the DUP minister who finally stops the Protocol checks just as his party gets ready to show him the door.