Members of the DUP’s ruling executive are to meet on Thursday night amid speculation Jeffrey Donaldson is preparing the ground among its members for a return to Stormont. The party leader is expected to take the temperature of the 130-strong executive ahead of his speech to his party conference next weekend.
On Wednesday sources were downbeat about the prospect of an imminent return to the powersharing government, which has been suspended since the DUP collapsed the Stormont executive in February 2022 over its opposition to post-Brexit trading arrangements.
The meeting is a routine gathering which was organised some time ago, and The Irish Times understands no proposals will be put forward on Thursday night. However, the broad outline of a potential package, which is expected to include legislation from the UK government affirming Northern Ireland’s place in the UK plus financial support, is likely to be discussed.
The majority of MLAs are understood to be in favour of a return to Stormont, but party grandees such as East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson and the former deputy leader Lord Nigel Dodds remain against.
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In a post on social media this week Mr Wilson said “claims by certain ‘loyalists’ that talks are reaching a conclusion by HM government and my party on the Windsor Framework and further legislation are false”, adding that the Stormont institutions “will only be sustainable once unionist concerns are fully addressed”.
Mr Donaldson on Tuesday reiterated that while “some progress” had been made in talks with the UK government, there was “further to go if we are to get to a place where we believe we have got what we need to both respect and protect Northern Ireland’s place within the UK and its internal market”.
While he said “we are not there yet” there was an acknowledgment that “every negotiation has a beginning and an end, and we will no doubt reach a moment where both sides will recognise we have taken this as far as we can”.
However, changed language from Mr Donaldson in recent days has indicated he could be preparing to face down opponents and return to Stormont.
In a strongly-worded response to a letter from loyalist blogger Jamie Bryson, revealed by the Belfast Telegraph, who warned “surrendering” on the protocol would trigger mass street protests, the DUP leader said the party would “not bow to pressure, threats or blackmail”.
In the same response, in a nod to the long-term challenges facing unionism, he also acknowledged that “building prosperity and stability are key to securing the union in a Northern Ireland that is changing” and said “unionism must broaden its appeal if the union is to be protected for the longer term”.
“Legislation alone will not protect the union if we lose the battle for the hearts and minds of the people of Northern Ireland,” he said.
Political commentator and former Ulster Unionist (UUP) director of communications Alex Kane said he believes the DUP will return to Stormont “in coming weeks” as there is no viable alternative.
“My gut instinct is that if they haven’t got it done before the end of this month I don’t see the circumstances in which it will be done,” he told The Irish Times. “We’ve reached a point where the DUP have to make that call. They can no longer avoid this because, let’s face it, they’ve been talking about it since December 2019. There’s nothing else coming down the line.”
The window for a potential restoration of Stormont is narrowing; the UK government has made clear the Windsor Framework negotiations will not be reopened and London is keen to draw a line under the discussions and move on, not least as the administration is increasingly preoccupied with a general election campaign.
In Dublin the Taoiseach has previously spoken of the need for a “plan B” and Government sources have made clear it will not have infinite patience with the current impasse.
