Four years ago to today, the UK left the European Union.
At 23:00 GMT on January 31, 2020 (midnight Brussels time, January becomes February locally), the EU shrank and the UK withdrew.
Four years on, a modern solution to one of Brexit’s most troubling consequences, or at least a selected Brexit profile, has emerged.
The government will later publish what is known as a command paper, detailing changes to Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit arrangements that have tempted Democratic Unionists, or at least most Democratic Unionists, back to a power-sharing, devolved government. We plan to reveal it. .
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris will return from Belfast and lead a debate in the House of Commons.
There is optimism within the government that, barring some last-minute hiccups, power-sharing may finally return.
One of the golden rules of British politics is not to predict the future of Northern Ireland.
But this time I see it.
On Thursday, the required changes to the law will be made through what is known as a statutory instrument.
I heard there will be two people.
Once they pass, attention naturally shifts back to Belfast.
Not only will devolution be restored and Northern Ireland’s government function, there is also the prospect of a Sinn Féin Prime Minister, Michelle O’Neill, taking office.
The weakness of my profession, journalism, is that we occasionally splurge on hyperbole and hyperbole, attaching the word “historic” to forgettable footnotes and miracles of one day.
These words are thrown around every day, often becoming a forgotten footnote or a strange occurrence of the day.
But the election of Sinn Féin Prime Minister would be a landmark moment.
Northern Ireland’s most senior politicians come from parties that want Northern Ireland to one day become part of a separate nation, the Republic of Ireland, rather than the United Kingdom.
And let’s look at the Republic. Sinn Féin made strides in the last Irish general election, and although poll numbers for Sinn Féin have fallen recently, they suggest it is the most popular party in Ireland, with elections likely to be held in the next year or so. It is expected that .
That’s why they are buoyant.
Yes, the First Minister and Deputy First Minister in Northern Ireland have equal legal powers and neither can make any decisions without the consent of the other.
However, one job title includes the word “deputy.” And the other is not.
The parliamentary leader of the largest party became the first minister, and Sinn Féin won more seats than any other party for the first time in Northern Ireland’s devolution elections in May 2022.
When Michelle O’Neill takes over as Prime Minister, probably this week, it will be a momentous moment in history.