- Written by Jayne McCormack & Finn Purdy
- BBC News NI
image source, British Parliament/Jessica Taylor
DUP leader Geoffrey Donaldson MP
Northern Ireland’s parliament is due to sit on Saturday after the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) ended its boycott of the power-sharing body.
DUP leader Sir Geoffrey Donaldson wrote to the Speaker following the passage of the bill in the Commons on Thursday.
The bill would remove regular checks on British products sold to consumers in Northern Ireland.
Saturday marks two years since the collapse of the DUP executive.
The party’s boycott was a protest over the UK’s post-Brexit trade deal.
It had called for changes to the way goods are traded between Northern Ireland and the UK to resolve the conflict at Stormont.
On Thursday evening, House Speaker Alex Muskie sent a letter to all members of Congress, calling on them to meet at 1pm Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) on Saturday.
Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris said he was pleased the DUP was “working with other parties in Northern Ireland to take the next step towards recalling parliament”.
He added: “I look forward to working with the new Prime Minister, Deputy First Minister, all the returning Northern Ireland Executive Ministers and Northern Ireland Members of Parliament to improve the lives of people here.” added.
On Monday night, 120 senior DUP leaders agreed to back a deal that would take them back to Stormont pending passage of the bill at Westminster.
“With the detailed internal processes completed, together with my party officials, all elected members and DUP colleagues in the House of Lords, and the Government taking the necessary legislative action, we will rebuild Northern Ireland. ‘Parliament and the Northern Ireland Executive,’ Sir Jeffrey said on Thursday.
Chris Heaton-Harris said in a debate in the House of Commons on Thursday that Stormont would stand up for Northern Ireland’s politicians to “deliver a strong government, take the right decisions for Northern Ireland and build a better Northern Ireland.” We can make it a better country.” A rich place.”
Commenting on the deal agreed earlier this week, he said: “Importantly, this bill also ensures that any future deal with the European Union does not create a new regulatory border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It will change the law.”
“This is an important new safeguard to future-proof Northern Ireland’s constitutional status.”
image source, Liam McBurney/PA Media
Cargo trucks passing through Northern Ireland ports will be subject to inspections from January 2021.
Sir Jeffrey told the House of Commons that the NI Protocol “undermines the principle of consent” in the eyes of trade unionists, which is “at the heart of the Good Friday Agreement”.
He added: “New measures and legislation will reset the balance, with only the principle of consent and the will of the people of Northern Ireland determining our future as part of the United Kingdom.”
But SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said the directive undermined the Good Friday Agreement and questioned whether the government had “moved away from strict principles of impartiality”.
Mr Eastwood then said Sir Jeffrey had “done a lot of good work over the last few weeks” and was extremely brave as “it’s not easy to confront people in your own constituency”. said.
But he said he wanted to put it on record that the SDLP opposed the directive, saying it would undermine inter-Korean cooperation and place too much emphasis on East and West.
“Seize the opportunity”
Later, discussing the second part of the bill, Steve Baker, the Minister for Northern Ireland, said the institutional arrangements for Stormont and the Government’s £3.3 billion fiscal package were a huge opportunity for Northern Ireland.
“If Northern Ireland’s politicians reach out and seize the opportunities before them, the good news is that they can make Northern Ireland a lighthouse before the world, a beacon of prosperity. We hope to be a beacon of reconciliation. Today’s regulations are part of that process,” he said.
Asked by Mr Eastwood if he supported parts of the Good Friday Agreement that required the UK government to remain “strictly impartial”, Mr Baker said he “absolutely” supported it.
He said the deal with the DUP was compatible with “both our unionism and full respect for all aspects of the Belfast Agreement”.
Shadow Secretary of State Hilary Benn said: “If we do what we need to do today, we will leave it to Northern Ireland politicians to do the rest.”
image source, parliament live tv
Lord Dodds said Irish Sea border still exists
criticism within the party
However, DUP MP Sammy Wilson told the House of Commons that he did not support the deal.
He said he believed it was important to consider the details and that the way the bill was “rushed through” did not allow for such consideration.
DUP peer Lord Dodds welcomed the creation of new bodies under the new agreement, such as the UK Exchange and the East-West Council, and said: “I commend and congratulate all those who took part in the negotiations.” added.
But he said: “There are so many union members who are deeply concerned and concerned that the Irish Sea border still exists and we have to dig into the details of this deal.” .
He said this was because “many goods coming from the UK, particularly in manufacturing, coming into Northern Ireland still need to go through full EU-compliant inspections and procedures”.
DUP bench distortion
Although the two men sat on the same bench, it is clear that they do not share the same views on the deal their parties have secured.
While Sir Geoffrey Donaldson is vocal about the positives of the deal he has negotiated, his colleague Sammy Wilson denies it.
The tension between the two was exposed.
At one point, the DUP leader suggested his colleagues should read the agreement.
“I encourage members for East Antrim to read the document in its entirety,” he said.
In another veiled swipe at internal critics, Sir Jeffrey reminded the House that all MPs supported the red lane arrangement in the previous bill.
It’s the same arrangement that some of his colleagues complained about in Thursday’s House of Commons debate.
The strain on the DUP bench is hard to hide and is unlikely to ease any time soon.
What is the contract?
This will reduce checks and paperwork for goods being transported to Northern Ireland from other parts of the UK.
This means there will no longer be “routine” checks on British goods sent to Northern Ireland for the purpose of staying in Northern Ireland.
These changes include the maximum flexibility allowed under the previous EU/UK agreement, which is understood to be acceptable to the EU.
On Tuesday, the UK-EU Joint Committee reached an agreement to change the deal to allow Northern Ireland to benefit from the UK’s free trade agreement.
DUP leader Sir Geoffrey Donaldson and NI secretary Chris Heaton-Harris held a joint press conference on Wednesday.
“Hype and Spin”
Around 100 opponents of the Combined Protection Agreement gathered at Orange Hall in County Tyrone on Thursday evening.
Among those attending the Moygachel meeting were TUV leader Jim Allister and loyalist blogger Jamie Bryson.
TUV leader Jim Allister addressed the crowd in Moygachel on Thursday night.
Mr Allister told the meeting that Northern Ireland had been subjected to “the most astonishing level of spin and hype” and was “still inheriting the rules from Brussels”.
“Northern Ireland is now constitutionally a condominium,” he added.
“That means we are partly governed by UK law and partly by EU law.”
Organizers of the meeting in Moygashel said both the DUP and Ulster Unionist Party were invited but did not attend.
This is the first time the opposition has met publicly since the deal was announced.
Organizers said the DUP and Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) had been invited to the meeting but did not attend.
What could happen on Saturday?
When MLAs enter the chamber, their first task is to elect a new Speaker. This must be done before anything else.
Once the chair is elected, the nomination will be made by the parties eligible to co-lead the Executive, Northern Ireland’s decision-making and policy body.
Sinn Féin will appoint its first minister for the first time as it won the most seats in the May 2022 parliamentary elections.
For the first time as the largest united party, the DUP will appoint a deputy prime minister.
Although the first minister and deputy first minister are joint offices with equal powers, it will be a symbolic moment for Michelle O’Neill to become the first Republican prime minister of Northern Ireland.