Northern Ireland power sharing return offers 'brighter future'

'After two years without an executive there is now a prospect of power sharing back up and running,' Rishi Sunak told the Commons

Restored power sharing in Northern Ireland offers the prospect of a “brighter future”, Rishi Sunak said, as the UK Government published the details of its deal with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

The prime minister thanked the other parties for their patience following a two-year wait for a devolved government - but some DUP ministers hit out at the UK Government for the delays.

As part of the wide-ranging deal, which sets the stage for the return of the Stormont power sharing institutions, routine post-Brexit checks on goods shipped from Great Britain to final destinations in Northern Ireland are to be removed.

A command paper titled “Safeguarding The Union” commits to replacing the current green lane process, which requires percentages of goods to be checked as they arrive from Great Britain, with a “UK internal market system” that will govern the movement of goods that will remain within the UK.

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said the deal he had struck with the government was the best he could get for the people of Northern Ireland, as he insisted it was not his party’s fault that it had taken two years to get to a position where the Stormont powersharing institutions could return.

He further praised Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris and Mr Sunak for "working with us" and said the current prime minister "delivered where others haven't" in a swipe at Boris Johnson, who he said had "promised a lot" to his party, but failed to deliver.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris sets out the DUP deal in the Commons

Sir Jeffrey hailed the move as a key concession that will effectively scrap the contentious so-called Irish Sea border for goods destined to remain within the UK.

“There should not be a border within the UK internal market. These proposals remove that border,” he said, adding that the deal he had struck with the government was the best he could get for the people of Northern Ireland.

Mr Sunak told the House of Commons: “After two years without an executive there is now a prospect of power sharing back up and running, strengthening our Union, giving people the local, accountable government that they need and offering a brighter future for Northern Ireland.”

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Mr Heaton-Harris said the deal is the “right one for Northern Ireland and for the union” and that he sees Northern Ireland being a “strong, wonderfully prosperous” part of the UK for the duration of his lifetime.

The DUP has agreed to drop its two-year blockade of Stormont in exchange for the government measures aimed at addressing its concerns about post-Brexit trading arrangements that created economic barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

Preparations are underway to allow the Stormont Assembly to sit in the coming days and a session could be held as soon as Friday or Saturday.

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