‘Surprise’ needed to resolve dispute
POLITICIANS may need to ‘surprise people’ to resolve the dispute over the Northern Ireland Protocol, Ireland’s Foreign Affairs minister has said, amid fresh hopes that a compromise can be reached.
Simon Coveney also said that renewed technical discussions between the UK and the EU this week had gone ‘reasonably well.’
Recent days have been dominated by renewed hopes in Brussels and Dublin that the UK could be in a mood to reach a deal, after months of wrangling over the postbrexit settlement for the region.
As well as the exchange of warm words, the attendance of Prime Minister Liz Truss at a European summit in Prague on Thursday also prompted speculation that a thaw in relations between the EU and the UK could be possible.
In London on Friday to attend a meeting of the British-irish Intergovernmental Conference, Mr Coveney and Northern Ireland
Secretary Chris Heaton-harris offered a
largely united front, expressing hope that this time a solution can be brokered.
Mr Coveney said: “Political leadership is about making things happen and sometimes surprising people, and I think that’s what we need to do over the next few weeks, to provide reassurance.
“Our focus is on timelines here. Can we find a way of making a big step forward before the end of October that can be a basis for reassuring particularly the unionist community that makes sense for them to be part of an executive and functioning assembly?
“I don’t think we can get everything agreed in the space of three weeks, that is completely unrealistic. But the question is can we make progress that is measurable and serious in that period where people can see we’re on a course that the people can start believing in?”
Mr Heaton-harris said: “I think it’s a fool’s gold looking for timelines here. When you set yourself a deadline and a timeline, you’ve set yourself up to be a hostage of fortune and I just refuse to.”
The Secretary of State, flanked by Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker, also repeated his intention to call an election if the DUP does not return to the executive table by the legal deadline of October 28.
Current legislation says that if Stormont is not restored by then, then Mr Heaton-harris should call a new election.