Irish Sea border: Government position has been made 'very clear' to the DUP - PM spokesperson

The News Letter understands the DUP’s focus this week will be in London – but Sir Jeffrey Donaldson is also set to engage with unionist and loyalist groups in a bid to secure a deal.

A spokesperson for the Prime Minister told journalists: “We continue to believe there is a strong basis for restoration of power sharing, as we’ve consistently said we remain hopeful that it can be fixed. We will continue to speak to all parties in Northern Ireland to that end because the people of Northern Ireland expect and deserve locally elected decision makers. Obviously these are sensitive and complex areas and so we’ll continue to have discussions with all parties”.

Asked if the government won’t change its position on Irish sea border and money for Northern Ireland, the PM’s spokesperson said: “We’ve been very clear with the DUP on our position, and with other parties as well. Of course we’ll listen to them, but I wouldn’t get into the detail of private conversations.”

On what the government is considering as its next steps – the government said it has legal duties – but is focused on a return of the institutions.

"We think there is a strong basis for a restoration of power sharing, that is our focus. Obviously there are statutory duties that fall on the government, but beyond those our focus is on continuing to discuss and to listen to the parties to ensure we can get Stormont up and running”, the Number 10 spokesperson said.

On Friday the DUP said they would not give a “running commentary” on their position, “save to say, we will continue to engage with the Government.”

At the weekend, Orange Order Grand Secretary Mervyn Gibson acknowledged a deal might not involve fundamental changes to the Windsor Framework – or any change to legislation or regulations. He said that he will expect any deal to “do away with the green lane in the Irish Sea border”. However, he said he believes there would need to be some form of agreement with Europe over parts of the deal – and Europe would need to “reinterpret” certain aspects of it.

“That doesn’t mean they need to change regulations and get into full negotiations. Europe has said they won’t renegotiate it and that’s fair enough. But would they listen to ‘we might need to do this, change this round, call this something else’?”, Mr Gibson told the News Letter.

TUV leader Jim Allister says if unionism accepts the Protocol, Northern Ireland will never be a full part of the United Kingdom again. He says he hopes resistance to the Irish Sea border prevails within the DUP.

The North Antrim MLA said Sir Jeffrey has “a fundamental decision to make.

"Does he stand with the rest of the unionist leaders who in September 2021 entered a solemn pledge of our unalterable position that the protocol must be rejected? Or is he now in the position of accepting the protocol? Because everything one hears about the negotiations does not change one word of the protocol”, he said.

The DUP’s position has always been that any deal must satisfy its seven tests – and that Northern Ireland’s place in the UK and its internal market must be fully restored.