Sir Jeffrey Donaldson thinks that the government in Westminster should prioritize Brexit protocol negotiations with the EU.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, head of the DUP, has stated that another election for the Northern Ireland Assembly will not resolve the impasse and reinstate devolved administration.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris proposes to seek a new election following the expiration of the deadline for a power-sharing agreement.
Sir Jeffrey urges the administration to instead prioritize Brexit Protocol negotiations with the EU.
He said: “We would like to see Stormont restored as quickly as possible, and I do not believe an election would bring us any closer to a solution.
“Why not utilize the next several weeks to double down on either negotiating a settlement with the European Union or introducing legislation that will resolve difficulties around the Northern Ireland Protocol in the legislature?
“In the six months since the previous assembly election, there have been three prime ministers, Westminster has at times been in disarray, and there has been little focus on finding a solution to the protocol.
He continued, “Talks with the EU just resumed a few weeks ago, and even then, only on a technical basis, not a political one.”
To avoid an economic border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, the Northern Ireland Protocol established a border in the Irish Sea.
However, unionists view the United Kingdom’s agreement with the European Union as a threat to Northern Ireland’s membership in the United Kingdom.
As secretary of state for foreign affairs, Liz Truss introduced the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill to unilaterally overrule portions of the Brexit trading agreement.
But Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is eager to seek a settlement with the EU rather than risk a trade war.
Sir Jeffrey responded that this made Mr. Sunak the DUP’s “worst nightmare” “I oppose a trade war with the EU…
“However, I truly want the power to trade within my nation, which the protocol prevents, and regardless of who is the prime minister in Westminster, I must cooperate with them,” he continued.
Michelle O’Neill, leader of Sinn Fein at Stormont, termed the Northern Ireland secretary’s decision to defer calling elections a “bizarre U-turn.”
In the face of an unparalleled cost-of-living problem, she stated, “This contributes to the unpredictability and instability of our politics.
