DUP in no rush to say Yes

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson last night hailed the ‘significant progress’ made in the new deal with Brussels – but stopped short of fully endorsing it.

He said his Unionist party would ‘study the detail’ and remaining ‘key areas of concern’ in the Windsor Framework before deciding whether to back it.

And while he struck a cautious note, one of his MPs, Ian Paisley Jr, appeared to dismiss the agreement outright, saying it ‘falls some way short’ and ‘does not cut the mustard’. But Rishi Sunak is hoping his deal will meet the DUP’s ‘seven tests’ and see the party return to power- sharing in the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont.

The Prime Minister now faces an agonising wait while the party scrutinises the framework’s details.

Reacting to the agreement, Sir Jeffrey said: ‘It is clear that significant progress has been secured across a number of areas whilst also recognising there remain key issues of concern. The party will now assess all these proposed outcomes and arrangements... to determine whether it meets our seven tests.’

Mr Sunak said last night: ‘I believe that the Windsor Framework does resolve those issues but I appreciate [the] party will want to consider the detail.’

However, Mr Paisley said: ‘Does it meet our seven tests? My gut instinct is that it falls some way short.

‘So far this does not cut the mustard.’