Following changes to the UK-EU agreement, the Democratic Unionist Party dropped its opposition to an executive body being formed in Northern Ireland, paving the way for a resumption of power-sharing.
by Tim Baker, political reporter
Sunday 4 February 2024 20:41, UK
Rishi Sunak is visiting Northern Ireland to celebrate the restoration of power-sharing at Stormont and is expected to meet the country’s first nationalist prime minister.
Over the weekend, The boss is finally back After almost 2 years of no one in the area.
of Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)It had delayed the process but allowed the selection of the first minister after a new agreement on the post.Leaving the EU The British government announced a new bureaucracy.
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Mr Sunak is expected to meet the new prime minister. sinn féinMichelle O’Neill and DUP Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengery met in Stormont on Monday.
Both men have equal responsibilities and powers, but Sinn Féin is the single largest party in parliament and therefore holds the first ministerial role.
Prime Minister Leo Varadkar of the Republic of Ireland is also due to visit Stormont on Monday.
Mr. Sunak visits Northern Ireland He is scheduled to meet with civil servants there tonight.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to the Northern Ireland Air Ambulance Service in Lisburn on Sunday night, the Prime Minister praised the “significant progress” that had been made “toward a brighter future for our people” after power-sharing was restored.
He also questioned Mr O’Neill’s comments that he expected a vote on Irish union to take place within the next 10 years.
He replied: “Obviously everyone is working on the Belfast Good Friday Agreement.
“But I think we can all also agree that now is the time to focus on tackling the day-to-day issues that matter to the people, families and businesses of Northern Ireland.”
It will be Mr Sunak’s seventh visit to the region since becoming prime minister.
There was an expectation that Windsor Framework agreed with EU It will break the deadlock in Belfast last year.
However, it took almost a full year for union members to receive the guarantees they needed to form a government.
Under the Good Friday Agreement, the DUP had the power to block the creation of an executive unit.
With the obstacles removed, O’Neill now has become the first nationalist prime minister They have been recognized as residents of Northern Ireland since 1998, when the current system was introduced.
The DUP has rejected a return to power-sharing over the Irish Sea trade border, which would have put checks on goods moving to and from Northern Ireland and other parts of the UK.
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“We are in a decade of opportunity.”
The creation of ‘green lanes’ for goods that do not require compulsory testing was announced in the Windsor framework last year, but had to be expanded last week to meet the DUP’s demands.
This was done in accordance with an agreement with the EU.
The UK government also announced that EU law will no longer automatically apply to Northern Ireland.
The UK government has pledged £3.3 billion in financial support to the new chief executive and £600 million in public sector salaries.
Ministerial roles are divided among political parties based on the number of seats they win in elections.
The new executives are scheduled to meet for the first time on Monday.
In an interview with Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Ms O’Neill said: Referendum on whether to unify Ireland within the next 10 years.
She said: “We believe this is a decade of opportunity and so much is changing.
“All the old norms, the nature of this mansion, the fact that it was never intended for a nationalist or a republican to be prime minister.
“This all speaks to that change.”
The UK government said there was “no realistic prospect of a border check”.