NORTHERN Ireland is on the cusp of a return to a working government after two years.
Hardline unionist party the DUP has agreed to restore power-sharing after a bitter Brexit row.
GettyThe DUP has agreed to a power-sharing deal (pictured: leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson)[/caption]
And Michelle O’Neill of Sinn Féin, the one-time political wing of the IRA, could be sworn in as First Minister on Saturday.
The DUP has been boycotting Stormont’s devolved government since 2022 in protest at post-Brexit trade rules.
In a new deal, just a fifth of the goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland will be subject to cumbersome EU checks and paperwork.
Checks will remain on items heading for the EU via the Republic’s land border.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris unveiled the deal yesterday, including a £3.3billion cash injection.
But Brexiteers fear it may make it harder for the UK to break away from Brussels red tape.
The deal commits to replacing the current system of a green and red lane for goods arriving in Northern Ireland.
That was adopted last year by the UK and EU in the so-called Windsor Framework.
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said he is “absolutely convinced” about the deal.
He insisted: “We believe that where goods are moving within the United Kingdom and its internal market, there shouldn’t be checks.”
And he praised PM Rishi Sunak, saying he had “delivered where others haven’t”.
Mr Sunak said that restoring power-sharing offered the province a “brighter future”.
He told the Commons: “After two years without an executive, there is now a prospect of power-sharing back up and running, strengthening our Union, giving people the local, accountable government that they need.”
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