Preparations for return to Stormont ‘now active’, says Sinn Féin

Preparations are “now active” by Sinn Féin for returning to Stormont following the new deal on the Northern Ireland protocol, party leader Mary Lou McDonald has said.

Addressing media on Wednesday, Ms McDonald welcomed the agreement between the UK government and European Union on the North’s post-Brexit trading arrangements, and said that while some areas still required clarification, it was her “absolute firm view that those clarifications can be sought and gained with an active Assembly and Executive in place”.

Her comments came as the DUP continues to scrutinise the Windsor Framework to assess whether it meets the party’s seven tests and “restores Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom”.

Following its unveiling on Monday, British prime minister Rishi Sunak insisted that “time and space” must be given to the party to assess the “complex” deal which was agreed following two years of negotiation to reform the protocol that was agreed in 2019 by Boris Johnson to get an exit trade deal from the EU.

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Earlier on Wednesday, DUP MP Sammy Wilson declined to say whether his party’s decision to accept or reject the framework would take days or weeks, telling Times Radio: “As long as it takes us to, first of all, look at the substance of the deal rather than the spin which the government has given.”

The North has been without a functioning government for a year due to the DUP’s refusal to re-enter powersharing until its protocol concerns are addressed.

A pivotal moment for Northern Ireland

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Flanked by Sinn Féin deputy leader and First Minister designate Michelle O’Neill at Parliament Buildings in Belfast, Ms McDonald told reporters that “time is of the essence”.

“We’ve been meeting today with our team of MLAs because our preparations are now active for a return of the Assembly and a return of the Executive,” McDonald said.

“We know that we face very, very big challenges, economically, socially, in terms of public service provision.

“We also know there’s big opportunities as well for the North of Ireland and the opportunities are coming at us now. We’re satisfied that the agreement struck does essential things. It ensures there will be no hardening of the border on our island.”

She added: “This is a win for everybody. We hope everyone has the wit, common sense and goodwill to grab the opportunity — there’s no point finger-pointing.”

Ms O’Neill said the new deal gave the North “enormous” economic potential by providing access to the UK and EU internal markets and noted the important timing for international investment ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Agreement.

“I rarely find myself agreeing with the British prime minister, but I do think that the opportunity we now have of access to both markets has to be grabbed on to with both hands,” she said.

“We have in quick succession a deal being done on the protocol, we go to the States next week to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, which is about encouraging investment here. Very quickly in the aftermath of that comes the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.”

Asked if the party will consider re-entering the devolved institutions if the DUP ultimately reject the deal, and whether there should be reform of the Stormont powersharing system, Ms O’Neill responded it was “not somewhere I want to go right now”.

“There isn’t any alternative here. Powersharing is where we all need to be, it’s very much the nature of how politics works here. I think it would be a huge missed opportunity for the DUP not to come around that Executive table and avail of the opportunity we now have. I think as we enter into the Good Friday Anniversary, all our efforts have to be facing the one way and that is to try to better people’s lives here.”

Responding to Ms O’Neill, DUP MLA Gordon Lyons said it was “notable” Sinn Féin welcomed the economic opportunities given their support of the protocol, which he said caused “economic harm”.

The party should apologise for urging the EU to rigorously implement the protocol, he added.