Sinn Fein claims reunification within reach
Nationalists push for a united Ireland as assembly prepares to reconvene after two-year boycott
THE reunification of Ireland is within “touching distance”, Sinn Fein has claimed, after the DUP ended its twoyear boycott of Stormont over postbrexit trading arrangements.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP leader, announced the party executive had accepted Rishi Sunak’s Irish Sea border offer in the early hours of yesterday after a turbulent five-hour meeting, which exposed deep unionist divisions.
It paves the way for the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly, which has been mothballed since the DUP walked out of a power-sharing deal in February 2022 that was intended to help maintain peace. Stormont’s return means that Michelle O’neill will become the first nationalist first minister in Northern Ireland’s history after she led Sinn Fein to victory in the May 2022 elections.
Mary Lou Mcdonald, Sinn Fein’s party leader, said it would be a moment of “very great significance” and a sign of change sweeping the island of Ireland.
She said the reunification of Ireland was “in historic terms” within “touching distance”, pointing to Sinn Fein’s lead in the polls ahead of elections in the Republic of Ireland this year.
Alongside her, Ms O’neill said the next days would be “crucial” in restoring power-sharing but added this is a “day of optimism” as the Republicans considered the prospect of being in power on both sides of the Irish border.
Ms Mcdonald has previously predicted a referendum on Irish unity by 2030. The Good Friday Agreement states the Northern Ireland Secretary must call one if it “appears likely” a majority would back reunification – which the polls do not currently show.
The DUP opposed both the Northern Ireland Protocol to prevent a hard land border and the Windsor Framework, which reduced Irish Sea checks, on the grounds that it put the region’s place in the UK’S internal market in jeopardy.
Sir Jeffrey said he hoped the devolved government could be back in place within days after backing a deal which he claimed would remove all postbrexit checks on goods moving between Britain and Northern Ireland.
Downing Street refused to confirm Sir Jeffrey’s assertion that the deal would result in “zero checks, zero customs paperwork” on goods moving within the UK, saying it would “not be helpful at this stage to get into detail”.
The agreement faces fierce opposition from hardline Unionists and Loyalists, who argue it falls short of the DUP’S seven tests to end the boycott.
Jim Allister, leader of the hardline Traditional Unionist Voice, said he feared it may be “game over for the Union”.
It is understood a DUP executive member behind a leak of Monday night’s meeting was wearing a wire which relayed the party leader’s speech to Jamie Bryson, a Loyalist activist, who posted it on social media.
“Are these proposals perfect? Have we achieved everything that we wanted to achieve? No, we haven’t,” Sir Jeffrey said, adding there had been “substantive change” and “progress” across the seven tests.
The European Commission said it was not party to the negotiations with the DUP but warned it expected the UK to uphold the Windsor Framework deal agreed last February.
The deal is expected to be published in full today. It came as new Brexit border checks finally come into force today for goods arriving into Great Britain from the EU, applying to live animals and plants and plant-based products.
Exporters said the measures would help UK businesses compete with Continental rivals but importers have warned that the extra paperwork risks delaying supplies of goods, leading to shorter shelf life in supermarkets.
The Commons environment committee warned the planned level of controls is too lax and risks exposing the UK to diseases such as African swine fever.
‘Are these proposals perfect? Have we achieved everything we wanted to? No, we haven’t’