The new Brexit agreement should result in the immediate restoration of power-sharing at Stormont, according to Sinn Féin, the largest party in Northern Ireland.
The Windsor Framework was announced on Monday after months of negotiations.
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is refusing to participate in power-sharing until its concerns regarding post-Brexit trade arrangements are resolved.
It has stated that it will not hurry to support the new Windsor Framework.
Michelle O’Neill, vice-president of Sinn Féin, stated that if the DUP does not return to the devolved government before the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement next month, it will be a “missed opportunity.”
The DUP is the second largest party at Stormont. But as the largest unionist party, its participation is required for the restoration of power sharing.
The prime minister stated that the agreement placed Northern Ireland in an enviable position with access to both the European and British markets, but he stated that he would not hurry the DUP into deciding whether to support the agreement.
It is feasible that the party will take weeks or even months before reaching a consensus.
An uncommon agreement with the Prime Minister
The plan aims to fix the Northern Ireland Protocol, part of the UK’s Withdrawal Agreement with the EU in 2019.
Ms. O’Neill’s party has cautiously greeted the Windsor Framework, and she has urged Northern Ireland parties to restore power-sharing immediately now that negotiations have concluded.
“I rarely concur with a British prime minister, but access to both markets must be seized with both hands,” she told reporters on Wednesday.
“We are about to attend programs in Washington for St Patrick’s Day which is about encouraging investment here.
“All efforts must be devoted to looking forward and commemorating the approaching anniversary.”
Businesses had informed her they wanted politicians to maximize the potential of the UK-EU deal and use the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement to be a real catalyst for economic investment, she added.
Mary Lou McDonald, president of Sinn Féin, stated that time was of the essence to restore power-sharing and that her party was actively preparing to return to government at Stormont.
“This is a victory for everyone,” she said. We trust that everyone has the intelligence, common sense, and goodwill to seize the opportunity. There is no point in pointing fingers.
Deal oversold?
The former chief Brexit negotiator for the United Kingdom has stated that the new deal with the EU will make the Northern Ireland Protocol simpler to operate without altering its fundamentals.
Lord Frost claimed that the government had “oversold” certain aspects of the agreement in a piece for the Daily Telegraph.
He cited the extent to which it eliminates trade friction between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
However, Lord Frost concluded that this did not imply that the transaction should not proceed. Even though it was “a bitter pill to ingest.”
In a tweet on Tuesday night, he admitted that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the EU’s framework included some enhancements.
However, he added that it “appears to be grossly oversold and may strengthen rather than undermine the protocol framework.”
Lord Frost’s Telegraph article argued that the Northern Ireland Protocol has been “simply renamed the Windsor Framework.
“It is slightly modified but remains in force, and EU law remains supreme in Northern Ireland.”
In addition, he questioned the British government’s claim that there was no longer a border in the Irish Sea as a consequence of the new agreement.
In a tweet on Tuesday night, he admitted that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the EU’s framework included some enhancements.
Lord Frost wrote that, under the framework, “any products other than food, drink, and pharmaceuticals must still meet EU standards.”
“Export a new car for sale by a dealer in Northern Ireland. And it must be produced to EU standards, not British ones,” he wrote.
‘Could have had this in 2019’
Alliance Party leader Naomi Long praised the prime minister for securing a good deal for Northern Ireland companies.
She criticized how his predecessor Boris Johnson managed the initial protocol negotiations in 2019.
If we’d had a serious, willing-to-engage prime minister at the time. We could have reached this agreement and avoided all the suffering we’ve endured since then.
‘Deal or dead end’
Former UK peace process negotiator Jonathan Powell stated that the DUP was justified in taking its time to evaluate the agreement, but “should not get caught in the weeds.
Mr. Powell opined that the DUP would be “wise” to ultimately approve the agreement. Even if it does not meet all of their demands.
Mr. Powell stated in an editorial for the Financial Times that the alternative would be “a dead end with no assembly at Stormont and perpetual political instability in Northern Ireland.”
He was the principal British negotiator in Northern Ireland between 1997 and 2007.
