Leo Varadkar says Rishi Sunak 'hopeful talks with DUP moving in right direction'

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar says the Prime Minister is hopeful that talks between the Government and the DUP are moving towards a positive conclusion.

Mr Varadkar said Rishi Sunak briefed him on the status of the negotiations during a bilateral meeting in Spain on Thursday.

He said a window of opportunity to reach an agreement, which could pave the way for the restoration of power-sharing at Stormont, may be approaching.

"Prime minister Sunak gave me a briefing on the talks and contacts that they're having with the DUP at the moment," said Leo Varadkar, who remained in Granada for a meeting with EU leaders on Friday.

"They're ongoing. He didn't go into the detail of those but very much said that they were bilateral discussions between the DUP and the UK Government, and that he hoped that they were moving towards a conclusion and that that would be a positive conclusion.

"But that remains to be seen."

On Thursday night, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson insisted gaps remain between Government and his party on the post-Brexit trade border impasse.

Emerging from a meeting of the DUP's ruling executive in Lurgan, Sir Jeffrey said he was not going to set any deadlines on the engagement with London but he indicated the Government was now in a position to respond to his party's latest requests.

The DUP withdrew first minister Paul Givan from the Stormont executive in February 2022 in protest at the internal UK trade barriers created by the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Power-sharing is unable to function without the participation of the region's largest unionist party.

The UK and EU agreed the Windsor Framework earlier this year in an attempt to address unionist concerns about the protocol but the DUP has indicated it will not return to the Stormont Assembly until the UK Government provides further assurances over Northern Ireland's place in the UK internal market.

One of the main parts of the framework, the green/red lane system for the movement of goods, became operational at Northern Ireland ports on Sunday.

Mr Varadkar continued: "There wasn't any timeline given but you'll be aware the DUP had an internal party meeting that happened there yesterday, and their conference is coming up.

"So, you know, perhaps this is another window of opportunity to come to an agreement, an agreement between the UK Government and the DUP which enables the Assembly, executive and the North South Ministerial Council to start functioning again.

"So, you know, hopefully that's the case but that remains to be seen over the next couple of weeks."

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