DUP and UK Government strike a deal to return to Stormont and restore Northern Ireland power sharing

Northern Ireland power sharing is set to return after DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson announced his conditional support for a Stormont return at a post-1am press conference in Co Down on Tuesday.

That came after he had secured what he said was the “decisive” backing of the 130-strong party executive during a five-hour meeting on Monday night.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has welcomed the DUP move and made clear his Government would deliver on its end of the deal. He has promised a £3.3billion package will be made available once the institutions are restored.

The DUP leader said the if the Government moved with speed Stormont could be back within days.

So now the DUP and the Government have reached agreement, what happens next?

What do we know about the deal so far?

The Government is expected to publish details of the agreement on Wednesday, and potentially pass the legislation through Parliament on Thursday.

The mooted deal being offered by the Government will seek to reduce red tape associated with arrangements, and offer additional measures aimed at strengthening GB-NI ties, but they will not result in the axing of the EU and UK’s jointly agreed protocol and framework.

Speaking on Tuesday morning, Sir Jeffrey said: “For the movement of goods within the United Kingdom, the protocol of course imposed severe restrictions on the movement of those goods – these new arrangements remove those restrictions.

“Zero checks, zero customs paperwork on goods moving within the United Kingdom. That takes away the border within the UK between Northern Ireland and Great Britain and that is something that’s very important.

“Now, are these proposals perfect? Have we achieved everything that we wanted to achieve? No, we haven’t, I will be honest with people about what we’ve been able to deliver, the substantive change.”

The Northern Ireland Office Minister said there were no commitments "of any kind" in the deal to align GB with EU law or increase alignment in Northern Ireland "beyond the strictly limited scope Parliament has approved - which is itself subject to democratic consent and safeguards".

When will the parties return to Stormont?

It is understood the Government will introduce two statutory instruments at Westminster to give legislative effect to the commitments it has made on trade and sovereignty.

This could lead to the assembly being recalled as early as Friday or Saturday.

The first order of business for MLAs will be to elect a Speaker. Previously Mike Nesbitt of the UUP and Patsy McGlone. There has also been speculation the DUP's Edwin Poots could be in the frame.

Election to the role requires cross-community support, with a majority of unionist and nationalist backing needed to assume the role.

The role of Speaker has traditionally been alternated between unionists and nationalists.

Sinn Féin's Alex Maskey assumed the role in 2020, so a unionist is most likely to get the nod for any new Assembly.

When will a First and deputy First Minister be appointed?

Then the nominations of First and Deputy First Minister will take place following the election of a Speaker.

Sinn Féin would be in line to take the First Minister’s job in any restored ministerial executive in Belfast. It's vice president Michelle O’Neill will take on that role.

The DUP - as the largest unionist party in Northern Ireland - will be entitled to nominate a Deputy First Minister.

It is unclear which DUP MLA will be nominated to serve as deputy First Minister. Emma Little Pengelly has been mentioned as a possible name for the party to nominate. Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, as Lagan Valley MP, can not be nominated.

Despite the different titles, the offices of First and deputy First Minister hold equal weight.

What about other ministerial appointments?

Sinn Féin and the DUP will jointly lead an incoming Executive. As the two largest parties, they will also be entitled to make several other ministerial appointments through a system known as d'Hondt - which ensures parties get a proportional number of departments compared to their vote.

The Alliance Party gained nine seats in the 2022 assembly election, bringing their total number of MLAs to 17.

The party has indicated it would be willing to take on the justice portfolio again, after party leader Naomi Long was appointed as Justice Minister in 2020.

The Ulster Unionist Party are also entitled to a ministerial position.

The SDLP - having lost four seats in the 2022 assembly election - has said it will not form part of a new executive and will instead lead the opposition at Stormont.

What of the strikes?

As it stand unions are set to strike again on Thursday, with three further dates proposed for the rest of the month.

Earlier this month Northern Ireland ground to a halt with around 170,000 people from various sectors taking to picket lines. They are calling for pay rises in line with their counterparts in the rest of the UK.

The Secretary of State has said the money is there for an incoming Executive.

Since the DUP announcement there have been calls for the unions to pause their action as a sign of "goodwill".

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