Orange Order Grand Secretary 'heartened' by DUP holding firm to boycott as PM said to be 'hopeful of solution to bring back Stormont'

The Irish premier said the Prime Minister briefed him on the status of the UK Government's negotiations with the DUP during a meeting in Spain.

Mr Varadkar said a window of opportunity to reach an agreement may be approaching.

Meanwhile Rev Mervyn Gibson told the News Letter that the pressure should properly be on Mr Sunak, rather than the DUP, to resolve the ongoing unionist rejection of the Protocol and its addendum, the Windsor Framework.

All this comes after a meeting of the DUP’s party executive on Thursday night.

There had been media speculation that the meeting could be dominated by discussions about the merits – and otherwise – of the party returning to government.

However, the DUP has hotly and repeatedly denied that there is any internal split on the matter, and after the meeting Sir Jeffrey Donaldson told the press that “gaps” remain between government and his party on the post-Brexit trade border impasse.

Sir Jeffrey said there was “absolutely no dissent” expressed during the meeting, and that the party is taking a “united approach” to the ongoing boycott of Stormont, while it awaits solutions from the government about how to resolve its fears about the Irish Sea border.

Mr Varadkar, speaking to reporters in Granada today, said: “Prime minister Sunak gave me a briefing on the talks and contacts that they're having with the DUP at the moment.

"They're ongoing. He didn't go into the detail of those but very much said that they were bilateral discussions between the DUP and the UK Government, and that he hoped that they were moving towards a conclusion and that that would be a positive conclusion.

"But that remains to be seen."

Mr Varadkar added: "There wasn't any timeline given but you'll be aware the DUP had an internal party meeting that happened there yesterday, and their conference is coming up at the weekend (October 13/14).

"So, you know, perhaps this is another window of opportunity to come to an agreement, an agreement between the UK Government and the DUP which enables the Assembly, executive and the North South Ministerial Council to start functioning again.

"So, you know, hopefully that's the case but that remains to be seen over the next couple of weeks."

Rev Gibson, the grand secretary of the Orange Order, told the News Letter: “The DUP as a party don't believe they should go back in until their seven tests are met or the issues are addressed. We support that stand…

"We take heart that unionists are still opposed to the Windsor Framework, and we take heart that the DUP as a party has decided not to go back in until their issues are addressed.

“It's not about the party conference and the DUP. It's about what the Prime Minister's going to do. The ball is in his court.

"The answer to this is very simple. The PM needs to deliver on his promise, and his promise is frictionless trade within the UK.

That's not there in the Windsor Framework. And there's the issue of European legislation and guidelines… Everybody is waiting on the government.

"Sunak seems disinterested in Northern Ireland and disengaged from Northern Ireland.

"So whether he's going to address those issues or not, we have to just wait and see.

“He's certainly shown no impetus or willingness up to now to address those issues.

"All he did with the Windsor Framework was get rid of a lot of the dross that was around the Protocol, the stuff that was never going to work.”

The Orange Order had issued a statement on March 28, saying: "The Windsor Framework has delivered some limited, but welcome practical adjustments to the existing Protocol."These changes were brought about as a result of Unionism’s determined and united opposition to its implementation. However, it does not resolve the fundamental concerns..."The Grand Lodge voted unanimously not to support a return to the Stormont Executive until there is substantial and tangible progress which resolves these fundamental issues."