DUP MPs meet tonight amid a push for a deal with the government on the Irish Sea border
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson will face questions from his MPs and peers in London this evening on what progress the party has made on a deal on the Irish Sea border and the restoration of Stormont institutions.
DUP parliamentarians are expected to quiz their leader on what progress has been made during the weekly meeting.
Some of the party’s strongest critics of a deal which leaves the Windsor Framework in place will be there.
A number of the parliamentary representatives in both houses sit on the party’s officer board, including MPs Gavin Robinson, Sammy Wilson, Carla Lockhart and Gregory Campbell – as well as peers Lord Dodds and Lord Morrow.
The hour long meeting is routine and has not been called over the ongoing negotiations on a deal – although it is expected to be the major topic of discussion.
A number of DUP MPs are strongly opposed to any deal which leaves the Irish Sea border in place – and the parliamentary groups are believed to be more strongly opposed to a return to Stormont before the sea border is removed than the Stormont representatives.
Yesterday, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said that the media had been listening to “ill-informed” sources on last Friday’s party officer meeting which was billed as a ‘deal or no deal’ moment by a source who spoke to the BBC’s Stephen Nolan.
The source also claimed that what was currently on offer from the government left the Windsor Framework and Irish Sea border in place.