Sir Jeffrey Donaldson says no DUP in-fighting over deal to end Stormont boycott

DUP Leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said there is no in-fighting within DUP ranks over a deal to restore power sharing in Northern Ireland.

Senior party members met last Friday for discussions. It was reported to be on ending the party's Stormont boycott. It was claimed to be a "yay or nay" meeting.

However, Sir Jeffrey dismissed this as inaccurate, saying he regularly meets with party officers.

It came amid speculation that the DUP is preparing to make a call on whether or not to accept a Government deal on post-Brexit trading arrangements.

Speaking on Monday afternoon, Sir Jeffrey said those who leaked details of last Friday's meeting were "ill informed" and "wrong" and insisted he was not "spooked" by the media storm the claims generated.

He said no agreement has been reached in talks with the Government, saying progress had been made but gaps remained.

"We will not be giving a detailed, running commentary on our internal meetings and structures, except to make clear we are not negotiating with ourselves, as some have reported, we continue to negotiate with the Government," Sir Jeffrey said.

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