Sir Jeffrey Donaldson assured of ‘further progress’ on protocol
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UP chief Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has mentioned he’s assured of securing “further progress” from the Government on the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Devolved authorities at Stormont has been successfully collapsed for greater than a 12 months amid DUP protest motion.
Sir Jeffrey mentioned his social gathering is not going to participate within the Assembly till they’re glad their issues across the influence of the Brexit deal are addressed.
The Government re-entered negotiations with the EU, securing the Windsor Framework in February. However, the DUP have mentioned there are nonetheless excellent points.
Visiting Belfast City Hall on Saturday in the course of the native authorities election rely, Sir Jeffrey mentioned he believes there shall be additional progress which is able to permit his social gathering to return to Stormont.
“I believe that we are going to see developments in the next few weeks … let’s wait and see what happens,” he mentioned.
“I believe the Prime Minister will recognise that the DUP has a strong mandate from the unionist community that politics in Northern Ireland works when we have a cross-community consensus … unionists won’t be pushed to the side, the DUP will continue to stand up for unionists, to stand up for Northern Ireland.
“I’m determined to get what we need from the Government to restore our place in the United Kingdom, our ability to trade with the rest of the UK and when we have that in UK law then of course we want to see Stormont back on stable foundations, operating on the basis of a cross-community consensus.”
Sir Jeffrey mentioned his social gathering polled nicely within the elections, they usually have secured a “mandate to go to the UK Government and secure the changes to the protocol they need to return to the Stormont Assembly”.
He mentioned: “This election was always primarily about consolidating our vote and giving us the mandate we need to go to the Government and to get the outcomes that are required to see Stormont restored.
“What is that? That’s about ensuring that Northern Ireland’s ability to trade with the rest of the United Kingdom is not only respected but protected in law, and that our place in the union is restored.”
Asked how possible the DUP is to safe any extra from the Government, Sir Jeffrey mentioned: “In our engagement with the Government, it is very clear that having Stormont restored is important to them, it’s important to us, and therefore I do believe that we are going to see further progress that will enable us to get what we need to restore Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom.
“Fundamentally Stormont functions best when there is a cross-community consensus, without unionist support we don’t have that so the DUP and unionism is critical in building that cross-community consensus and that’s why we want to see the Government acting so that we get that legislation, we get the protection that we need for our ability to trade within the UK to get Stormont back up and running on a stable foundation.”