LAST UPDATE | 2 Feb
SINN FÉIN’S MICHELLE O’Neill is set to be the First Minister as the DUP has given the green light for the recall of the Stormont Assembly tomorrow.
The announcement from party leader Jeffrey Donaldson came after two pieces of legislation contained in the UK government’s deal to resurrect devolution were fast-tracked through the House of Commons yesterday.
The two motions were approved by MPs without the need for a formal vote.
While the Lords debated the measures outlined in the UK government’s Strengthening the Union command paper they will not deliberate on the legislation until 13 February.
The statutory instruments will not become law until after peers have had their say.
Donaldson yesterday said he had written to the outgoing Speaker of the Stormont Assembly Alex Maskey to confirm his party was prepared to end its two-year blockade on the institutions.
In a letter to all MLAs yesterday evening, Maskey said the Assembly is summoned to meet tomorrow at 1pm.
Political leaders met at Stormont Castle today and following that meeting, Donaldson said they concentrated on priorities for the incoming powersharing executive.
“It is important when the executive meets that we have a real sense of what those priorities are for everyone in Northern Ireland,” said Donaldson.
He added: “We are looking forward to the Assembly meeting tomorrow, going through the formalities, getting devolution restored.
“We do so, as a party, having delivered for Northern Ireland real change that secures our place within the United Kingdom and its internal market.”
Also speaking following the meeting, Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Doug Beattie confirmed his party will enter the Northern Ireland executive when it is restored tomorrow.
Beattie said he saw a “sense of cohesion” among the parties which would form the executive.
The UUP leader added that it was worthwhile going back to the UK Government to seek extra funding to protect public services in Northern Ireland.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar this afternoon said it’s “really good news that the Assembly and the Executive will be back up and running on Saturday”.
He added: “Fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong between now and then.
“I really look forward to working with the new First Minister and the new Deputy First Minister, and the new Executive, on issues of common interest.”
Last night, Sinn Féin MP John Finucane told BBC’s The View that “throughout the past number of weeks and months, there have been a lot of distractions”.
“The important part is that we have an Assembly, we have an Executive, we have the north-south bodies,” he said.
"The important part is that we have an Assembly, we have an Executive, we have the North-South Bodies"@johnfinucane tells @MarkCarruthers7 that the parties need to work together to tackle problems#BBCTheView pic.twitter.com/mjgB7YJsno
— BBC The View (@bbctheview) February 1, 2024
The DUP agreed to drop its two-year blockade of Stormont in exchange for the UK government measures aimed at addressing its concerns about post-Brexit trading arrangements that created economic barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
The return of Stormont will see the Treasury release a £3.3 billion (€3.85 billion) package to support under-pressure public services in Northern Ireland.
The financial package, announced by the UK government before Christmas, includes money to settle the demands of striking public sector workers in the region this year.
Includes reporting by Press Association
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