DUP party officers meeting to discuss deal with UK Government on Northern Ireland protocol

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson is understood to be asking his party whether to back deal on restoring power sharing or not.

UTV understands senior DUP figures will meet today to decide whether to back a deal to return to Stormont. The gathering of party officers is being viewed as significant. Any decision to return to power sharing would require the backing of the DUP party officers. It is made up of 12 DUP members including the leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, deputy leader Gavin Robinson, MPs Sammy Wilson and Carla Lockhart as well as Lord Dodds.

Northern Ireland's devolved government has been in stalemate for almost two years as a result of DUP protest action over post-Brexit trading arrangements.

Pressure is mounting on the party to say if it will accept a new deal to end the impasse.

A return to power sharing would trigger the release of a £3.4billion financial package to stabilise Northern Ireland's finances and settle public sector pay disputes which prompted Thursday's day of unprecedented strike action.

The latest deadline to restore Stormont expired at midnight on Thursday, 18 January.

Speaking after the deadline, Secretary of State Chris Heaton- Harris said he will introduce new legislation taking a “pragmatic, appropriate and limited approach” to addressing the political deadlock.

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